The Call: Part 1
by Professor Panic
Summary: Three years ago, the tragic death of one of their own sent the Teen Titans on to their seperate ways. Now, with the reunion of two loves, a message from beyond is sent. Innocent blood is shed, and those that remain must reunite... and heed the Call.
1. Prologue: 'The End of an Era'

Author's Note: Wow, this is a long time coming. I've been reading on the site for years now, but I've never had the guts to post something of my own. Special thanks to my friend Fischer for giving me the idea to combine two of my favorite properties; the Cthulhu mythos and Teen Titans.

The Cthulhu Mythos were created by H.P. Lovecraft. Teen Titans and all associated characters and locations are the property of Warner Bros., DC Comics, etc.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Prologue

The End of An Era

////////////////////////////////////

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all it's contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas infinity; and it was not meant that we should voyage far."

_-H.P. Lovecraft_

'_The Call of Cthulhu_

_///////////////////////////////////_

By the time the word officially got out via the six o'clock news, virtually everyone in Jump City already knew what had happened.

A Teen Titan was dead.

The news channels had been breaking into broadcasts sporadically throughout the day (much to the ire of some sports fans) to keep the viewers up-to-date on the non-stop battle between the Titans and their mysterious quarry, dubbed by the media as 'the Masked Monster.' As the day continued, it became evident that this was no simple battle for the heroes to overcome. The beast was simply too strong and too fast, keeping it constantly ahead of it's pursuers. It's ability to bond and copy whatever material it touched proved to be more than capable enough to constantly repel the young protectors. Shaky news-footage of one particular battle in the city's business district revealed an even more disturbing fact.

Beast Boy was missing in action.

Unconfirmed call-in sightings placed the green-skinned Titan everywhere from one of the local high schools to the abandoned amusement park on the outskirts of the city (which, coincidentally, had it's Ferris wheel destroyed in a freak accident.)

At last, the team seemed to have their foe cornered. 'The Masked Monster' was surrounded by the four present heroes, and the large area it was standing in made it impossible for it to bond and disappear. Just as it seemed the day was going to have it's usual happy ending… tragedy struck.

The creature apparently decided to attempt to bond with one of the Titans. Namely Cyborg. It can only be guessed that 'the Masked Monster' knew the position it was in, and was simply trying a desperation tactic. The cybernetic hero's internal defense mechanisms set to work immediately, trying to repel the invading monster, and ironically, this is what lead to his demise. The autopsy would later reveal that the systems, by trying to work at the monster's near supernatural speed, had shorted themselves out and drained the internal batteries in a matter of seconds. It's unlikely that Cyborg even knew that he was dying.

According to footage caught by the News 4 Chopper, the half formed Cyborg/Monster amalgamation fell, motionless, to the ground. The three remaining Titans moved forward, and their reactions left little room for doubt. As they walked, the three teens appeared concerned, but happy that the battle was, at long last, finished. Robin was the first to reach the figure, and the first to freeze.

Starfire, normally the most cheery and happy of the team, turned away in disbelief, then began wailing in agony as rivers of tears ran down her normally gorgeous face.

The normally reserved Raven's shoulders slumped, shifting slightly with her barely controlled sobs.

Robin simply sat motionless until he weakly reached over to close his friend's one human eye.

Cyborg, civilian name Victor Stone, was dead.

Beast Boy arrived two minutes later.

At this instant, the chopper's engine failed as a surge of dark energy from Raven swept over it, also shattering every window in a city block. Only the quick thinking of the pilot saved everyone on board.

If it weren't for a single high-school student with a camera phone, no one would know what happened next. The video, grainy as it is, clearly shows Beast Boy on the ground (presumably knocked back by Raven's energy) with Robin above him, raining punches into his face. Raven has vanished by this point. One sentence can be heard clearly as Starfire drags the enraged Boy Wonder away from the bleeding boy on the ground.

"WHERE… WERE… YOU?"

Suddenly, Robin rears back and full-on punches Starfire in the face, causing her to let him go. Without a look back, Robin says something to Starfire, turns, and leaves. Starfire, in momentary shock, lets him go. She then floats to the ground and tends to the still prone Beast Boy. At the one minute mark, the video ends. A second, briefer video was captured moments later. It simply shows Starfire helping Beast Boy to his feet and awaiting the arrival of the emergency personnel.

That would be the last time anyone ever saw the Teen Titans together.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Watching the broadcast in her step-parent's living room, a young blonde girl with piercing blue eyes wept silently, but she did not know why. She supposed that it was just because she was so used to seeing the heroes save the day with no problems, it was simply shock at the sight of one felled so quickly.

A voice began to speak in her mind, very quietly at first. It said other things, other reasons as to why she was crying, but she did her best to ignore it.

She said nothing of this to her step-parents.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

In a prison cafeteria, a tall man sitting alone watched the broadcast with full concentration. His single green eye narrowed as he stroked his white goatee. What he had failed to do on so many occasions with so much careful planning had been done by a mindless beast that had simply been in the right place at the right time.

More than that, he felt a shocking sadness at the boy's death. True, he and the group had been mortal enemies for years, but on their last encounter they had been allies.

He made a mental note to have funds transferred to pay for the funeral before returning to his steak.

Another inmate moved to change the channel, but a glare from the man sent him scurrying.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

And deep beneath the ocean's waves, in a massive tomb on an island city that defied sanity and time, a great evil awakened, cast it's eyes upward… and waited.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Author's Note: And so it begins. Remember, a little review never hurt anybody.


	2. Chapter 1: 'Three Years Later'

Author's Note: Alright, Chapter 1 starts the story up proper. At first glance, some characters might seem OOC. However, I see them as logical advancements and every little detail serves the story in the grand scheme of things. So, please, give them a chance...

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Chapter 1

Three Years Later

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Garfield Logan, clad in his simple street clothes, leaned against the school's fence. Noting the glaring June sun's glare, the sixteen year old changeling reached up to fool with his sunglasses and checked his watch on the arm's way back down.

2:55 PM

He sighed and gazed into the sky. It was a gorgeous day; the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming… and the damned bell _still_ wasn't ringing. Muttering under his breath, Gar turned back and faced the front of Jump City Western High School.

'I shouldn't be here.' He thought to himself. 'This is where it all went wrong.'

It was true. Had it really been three years? Three years since he'd seen her in the smoke. Three years since she'd pushed him away. Three years since Vic…

He stopped himself. His therapist, Dr. Bastion, had urged him not to dwell on the events of that day. He constantly reminded Gar what had happened the last time he had.

After the funeral and the un-official break-up of the team, he'd become despondent and depressed. Two of his closest friends hadn't spoken to him since that day, and that certainly didn't help things. Thinking back, he couldn't remember where the first pills had come from, only that they'd made life bearable again, at least for awhile. Had Gizmo given them to him? Or was it Adonis? It didn't really matter in the long run.

It was Star who had helped him. It was Star that had found him wandering the streets in a dazed stupor. It was Star that had cleaned him up and given him a place to stay. It was Star who had convinced the city to get him the help he desperately needed instead of sending him all the way down to Bell Reeve as a precaution. He'd promised to move on, to get past the events of that day… yet he was always here, waiting for _her_ when she got out of school.

He looked down at himself. The once gangly form was now slightly more built thanks to one of his new stress relievers; the gym. He found that anytime he felt his mind drifting back too far, a few reps could take his mind right off the subject.

His thoughts drifted to the others. Raven was gone. The day Vic died, she'd simply vanished. She hadn't even attended the funeral. No one had any idea where she was.

Starfire had enrolled in a private school to better become acclimated to Earth, and she now shared a small apartment with Gar not far from Titans Tower, a gift from years of service to the city.

Titans Tower… Robin…

Dick had blamed Gar personally for Vic's death since he hadn't been there and had shunned Starfire when she had defended Gar from him. He still protected the city on his own, apparently operating in a new base below-ground. In the few times that Gar and Star had seen him, he was letting his hair grow out and making small changes to his uniform. Star had said that he was indeed on track with his destiny to become the vigilante called Nightwing. When trouble broke out and Dick was already there when they arrived, fighting whatever criminal it might be, he would just vanish. He was very much still holding a grudge.

The Tower itself sat alone and dark, a testament to what had been. Looking towards it, Gar felt the old familiar pain. 'Whatever happened to the Teen Titans?' he wondered.

He was startled out of his mental wanderings by the school bell at last ringing. He turned and watched as the swarm of uniformed students surged out, thankful for the weekend that had arrived at last.

Sure enough, there she was.

The years had treated the girl well. Like Gar, her gangly form had started to fill in nicely, taking away from the annoyingly super-skinny figure she used to have. As he did everyday, Gar thought to himself how well her uniform accented this. He made a mental note to ask Star if he could transfer to public schooling.

He could get used to spending all day with a bunch of girls in those uniforms.

She bid good-bye to her friends and walked to where she knew he was waiting. The other students, so used to seeing the green-skinned youth by the fence, passed him by without a second glance. She arrived by him and hugged him.

"How are you today?" she asked.

He hugged her back. "Just fine. School was good?"

She nodded and they started to walk. "Any plans this weekend?" he asked.

Without turning her head, she replied, "Actually, yeah. There's a new karaoke place that's opening up tonight. You wanna come?"

He smiled. She knew his weakness for karaoke. It was his other stress reliever.

"I knew you would." She said when he said nothing in return. She turned and smiled back. She noticed the sun-glasses. "So, what are you today? A secret agent?"

His green-skin made his blush hard to see, but he quickly pulled the glasses off and pocketed them. "No need. I'm already a super-hero."

That made her laugh.

They resumed the game they'd been playing for the better part of the year. He tried to match her pace perfectly, and she kept switching it up to throw him off. By the time they reached her house, they were breathless and giggling like children. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and headed into the house. "So, I'll see you there." She said as she headed for the door.

"Wait! Why don't I pick you up? We could go together."

She stopped in her tracks and sighed sadly. It had been months since something like this had happened. Every time, she thought it would be the last time. Yet, every few months, he would re-open the wound. She turned to him.

"Gar, we've been over this." She started, repeating the spiel she always gave him. It's tone was cold and emotionless from the countless times of repeating it. "I know that you had feelings for this 'Terra' girl, and I accept the fact that it's only because I look so much like her that we've become such good friends. But I'm _not_ her. And we're _just _friends. That's all. Okay?"

He lowered his head. "Yeah." A moment passed. "Sorry."

She smiled gently. "It's okay. I'll see you tonight?"

He nodded, and she went into the house without another word.

He turned and walked to the nearby corner where he found his usual thatch of bushes. Once concealed within, he shed his street clothes and packed them into the waiting parcel he'd left there earlier. Now clad in his uniform (the only clothing he had that would stay on during a transformation), he looked back one last time, slung the back over his shoulder, and instantaneously morphed into an eagle. He flew into the clear, blue sky, leaving his thoughts with the girl he left behind.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Through her bedroom window, she watched him leave. Three years now, and he still hadn't given up on her. She shut her eyes and wondered why she kept denying what she felt for him. Her heart quickened every-time she hugged him, every-time she felt those arms encircle her. What had begun as a simple friendship had evolved into something more… at least, for her, anyway.

And then, there was the voice, of course. The voice of the dead girl.

Not even her step-parent's knew about the voice. It had been there for three years now, ever since the day that other hero, Cyborg, had died, and it kept getting stronger, more insistent. Deep down, she knew what… who… the voice was, but she refused to acknowledge it. She told herself that it would tell her that the instant she allowed herself to feel anything for him… she would be doomed.

She continued to trick herself into being unhappy. But that was okay. She was a sixteen year old girl. Unhappy was good. Unhappy was safe.

Unhappy was _normal._

Exhaling softly, she closed the blinds and set to getting ready for the night to come.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

With a frustrated grunt, the former Teen Titan known as Starfire closed the 'Advanced Calculus' book with a snap. She glared at it. How could the Earthling's mathematics be so…so… _incomprehensible_.

Her Tameranian temper flared and emerald green energy blasted from her eyes, disintegrating half of the book. She dropped the smoking bits of what remained of it to the floor and reclined in her chair. After rubbing her eyes, she looked around at her small apartment. The four room area was cozy, yet comfortable. Once through the main door, a left turn would bring you to the kitchen, while a straight shot lead right into the living room. The two doors to her right lead to the bathroom and bedroom. It was more than enough space than she required, especially considering what the city had initially offered; a permanent suite in Jump City's most luxurious hotel.

Still… it was no Titans Tower.

She was now seventeen in Earth years, and yet she still found herself thinking back to those days before the death of Victor. Before Dick had…

The slam of the door jarred her train of thought. "Oops. Really meant to do that quieter." Gar entered the apartment and dropped his bag on the floor by the door. "Hey Star." he called.

She pulled the chair back into it's upright position and looked at him, eyes glaring. "Where have you been all day?"

He stared back, taken aback by her tone. "Whoa there. Since when have you been my baby-sitter?" He thought about it. "I mean, you are technically my legal guardian, but still…"

She continued to glare. Years of intensely studying English (amongst other languages) had allowed her to better convey her thoughts without slipping up the way she used to. As a result, her often-times tone of naivety had all but vanished. "Gar, your tutor called me. He said that you've been neglecting your studies… again. You know that maintaining your grades is the only way to stay in the school. The school drops you, the city's leniency disappears."

He turned away, pulling the street clothes out of the bag. "I know. But can I get a new tutor? The one they gave me is terrible. Maybe someone twenty-five to thirty years old, female, long black hair, and a love for green guys with pointy ears…" He trailed off, but she didn't take the bait. She just kept glaring. "And in answer to your question, I was out."

"Out?" She repeated.

"Out."

"Is that all the information I'm going to get?" She asked. Her glare softened slightly.

"Yes."

"Are you going to speak in one word sentences all night?" A smile was tugging at her lips now.

"Maybe."

Her smile fully broke through, lighting up the room as it always did. "Then your tutor must truly be terrible."

He smiled back, and the two long-time friends were soon laughing. After putting his street clothes back on over the uniform, he sat down on the couch next to her chair that doubled as his bed. He looked over at her, taking in her snug jeans and tank top. "Got a date tonight?"

She smiled as she picked up the remains of the 'Advanced Calculus' book. "Roy is coming over, yes."

Gar blanched. "Roy? Again? Didn't you guys break up recently… for, like, the third time?"

He thought back to the previous nights that Roy had been over. He couldn't decide which was worse; the ridiculously loud sounds the two made when they were 'getting along,' or the ridiculously loud sounds they made when they were fighting. Either way, he'd be kept awake half the night. He made a mental note to crash at Titans Tower East in Steel City.

'Come to think of it,' He thought, 'we still haven't told the land lord about that energy burn on the wall. I wonder how that happened, anyway…?'

He quickly shelved the thought, not really wanting to know the answer.

She examined the charred book and showed it to him. "Do you have any idea how stressful just _reading _this is? Yes, we broke up. But we are still friends. And besides…" She smirked. "He's good for relieving my... tension."

Two things occurred to Gar almost simultaneously. One, he still couldn't believe how quickly the culture of Earth had corrupted Star once the team had fallen apart.

And two, he regretted ever showing Star 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'

She looked at him. "You? Do you have any plans?"

He looked down. "Yeah. I'm going to check out this new karaoke place..."

She nodded. "Yes, I heard about that. Down at the old amusement park." She giggled. "You and your karaoke."

He chuckled. "Yeah, T said the same thi…" He cut himself off, realizing too late that he'd said too much. He looked over and caught her shocked face.

"Gar…"

He jumped to his feet and checked his watch. "Goodness gracious. Look at the time. I have just got to be running." He opened the large trunk next to the couch and selected another outfit, stuffing it into his bag.

"Gar…" She tried again, but he was already half-way to the door.

"I'll probably crash at Titans East's place, so don't wait up. And say 'Hi' to Roy for me…"

"GARFIELD LOGAN!"

He froze at her raised voice. Slowly, he turned. She was standing now, her arms crossed. That look was back on her face.

"You were seeing T again?"

"Yeah. What about it? She's my friend. That's what friends do, Star. They hang out."

"That girl, nice as she may be, is not Terra…"

"You don't know that… and that's not the point!"

He met her gaze with his own defiant look, realizing he's walked right into her trap. At this, her face, instead of showing triumph, softened into one of pity.

"Gar, you remember what Dr. Bastion said. The more you stay in the past, the more stuck you'll become."

He held the gaze for a few moments more, then turned back to the door. "I know, Star. Believe me. No one knows that more than I do." He left, slamming the door shut behind him.

She shook her head. 'When will that boy learn?' she thought to herself. Her eyes caught the clock, and she cursed loudly in Tameranian. Roy would be arriving shortly. She set to cleaning up. She noticed something lying on the ground while picking up the assorted clutter. It was a picture frame that had been knocked over when Gar had slammed the door. She picked it up and looked at it.

Thankfully, it hadn't broken. It was one of the final group shots the team had taken, just after the defeat of Brushogun in Tokyo. Raven blew a bubble from the gum she was endorsing. Gar was sitting on Vic's shoulders who was flashing a peace sign. Dick's hand was tightly holding hers, their fingers entwined.

She traced a finger down his face. "Dick…" she whispered softly.

She felt the threatening sting of tears, and remembered what she'd just said to Gar. As the first tear slid down her cheek, the much older sting of the strike that had ended that youthful happiness returned.

"_Robin… you…. You hit me…"_

"_You would take his side. Stay away from me from now on. Both of you."_

Her eyes narrowed and she faced the picture down. That was the past. She would not be like Gar.

She could, and would, let the past go.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Author's Note: More set-ups ahoy! What will happen at the kareoke bar tonight? Tune in next chapter to find out. A couple things to point out.

1. The 'Whatever happened to the Teen Titans?' line is my little shout out to Neil Gaiman who recently wrote the fantastic 'Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?' and also wrote a short story called 'I, Cthulhu.'

2. Special thanks to my dearest friend Kristen for helping me flesh out Star. Only with her backing would I go the route I did.

So, until next time, remember; a little review never hurt anybody.


	3. Chapter 2: 'It's All Coming Back to Me'

Author's Note: Special thanks to Kitsune for my very first review. Thanks for coming on-board and I hope you enjoy the ride into madness.

So, onto the chapter. This one needs some explanation. First off, this is a seriously fluffy chapter. But the plot really kicks into high gear in this one.

Now, here comes the controversy. Part of this is a song fic. I thought long and hard about this, and it was the only way to do the scene the way I wanted to. Seriously, if you listen to the song while reading along, the action fits in with the instrumental breaks. The song, by the way, is 'It's All Coming Back to Me Now' by Meatloaf and Marion Ravenwood from Bat Out of Hell III, and I don't own it.

Also, this fic has some very brief, very serious lime. Nothing explicit, but it's there.

Quick guide to the kareoke sequence;  
Gar Singing  
_T Singing  
_Both Singing

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Chapter 2

'It's All Coming Back To Me Now'

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"…unhappy are they that hear some old god speak while he sleeps being still deep in slumber…"

-Lord Dunsany

_A Shop in Go-by Street_

_////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////_

Gar stumbled out of the bushes, tying the last shoe-lace. Finished, he stood up and took in his surroundings. He was standing in Jump City's newest recreation area; 'The Jump City Boardwalk,' formerly the Amusement Park. The site was part of the refurbishment that the entire city was going through in order to make the city more attractive to tourists, due to be finished next year. The Boardwalk consisted of a new roller-coaster, several re-furbished attractions, three new restaurants, and the new karaoke bar.

The karaoke bar had a very modern take on it's architecture, just like all the buildings that had just been built in this part of the city. It was only 7:00 PM, and the place was already packed. Come to think of it, the entire Boardwalk was filled with people. How could he hope to find her here?

Looking around, Gar could hardly believe that this place had been the amusement park he and Terra had come to on their first (and only) date. Some buildings, the House of Mirrors in particular, had been restored and re-opened, making this one of Jump City's premiere destinations for it's tourists, teenagers, and the like. Sheepishly, Gar remembered hearing that the whole project had come about because _someone_ had destroyed the old Ferris Wheel.

The place was packed, kids of all ages between fourteen and nineteen just hanging out in a safe environment. Gar scanned the crowd for her and couldn't find her anywhere. Everywhere he looked, it was just one solid mass of humanity.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. He'd been learning to bring some of his animal traits into his human form, and maybe now was exactly the right time to use them.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. The noise of the crowds and music faded, and the ambient smells took their place. He sorted through them in his mind;

Cologne…Perfume…Burgers…Pizza…Alcohol someone had snuck in…the assorted hormones of dozens of teenage boys and girls in close quarters…

THERE!

He caught her scent; the Lilac-scented shampoo she used, the Jasmine she'd freshened up with… the scent that was simply and perfectly _her_.

He followed it through the crowd towards her location. Like a blood-hound, his pursuit was relentless. He hardly even noticed the people that dodged out of his way.

When he at last arrived at his destination, he stared at the freshly painted façade. Somehow, he'd known that she would be here. Whether she was Terra or not, everything seemed to be coming full circle. He swallowed and said a silent prayer before stepping across the threshold. He looked up at the sign one last time before he entered;

THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It was a startling transition. Out in the open night air, the crowds of rowdy teens raised quite a ruckus. He didn't know if the walls had been sound-proofed, but it was suddenly and shockingly quiet. He could hear a pin drop if he'd wanted to, even without his animal senses. With a chuckle, he wondered how long it would be before the teen populace discovered exactly how private it was in here.

Just as he'd focused his sense of smell, he now focused his sense of hearing. The only sound in the whole maze now was a single heart-beat.

She was here. And she was waiting for him. Alone.

'Guess I'm cheating.' He thought with a smile, allowing his sense of smell to guide him, barely even looking where he was going. Walls of mirrors flashed by, and he didn't once run into a false hall-way or passage. It wasn't long before he reached his target; the center of the maze.

The broad circular room was completely surrounded by mirrors, and the memories suddenly came rushing back…

"_Because she's not your friend. She's my apprentice…"_

"_Perhaps she wanted to keep you as a pet…"_

"_He helped me… saved me from myself…"_

"_Slade was right. You don't have any friends…"_

He pulled himself back into the present with a fair bit of effort. When he saw her standing in the room, he almost thought he was still flashing back. He shook his head, and the vision before him became real.

She stood in the center of the room across from him. She wore a blue blouse that accentuated her eyes beautifully with a matching skirt. She'd tied her hair up in a bob leaving only two strands hanging down. Her purse dangled from her shoulder, the same color as her outfit. Her make-up was light and barely noticeable, but it was there. There was no other word for it; she was simply, achingly… beautiful.

She looked at him, not smiling. "I…I don't know why, but I felt drawn here. Like… like something important happened here."

He nodded. "Yeah. This is where Slade revealed that Terra was his apprentice, and that she'd been spying on us. This is…" He cast his eyes down at the memory. "This is where I turned my back on her."

He looked back at her, but she averted her eyes. For a split second, Gar had a vicious sense of déjà vu, fully expecting Slade to appear in the mirror behind her. He suppressed it and took a step toward her.

She looked at him. "Gar…I think I like you. I mean, as more than a friend. But I need to know if you feel the same about me."

He smiled. "Of course I do. I always have, Ter…" For the second time that day, he shut himself up too late, realizing he'd said the wrong thing. She looked at him as tears flooded her eyes.

"I knew it. You don't like me. You like who you think I was."

"No, T. I like you too. It's just…"

"Just what? Yes, okay, I have no memories until I wound up in my step-parent's house. Yes, they say that they found me wearing rags and weird pieces of metal. But I don't have any powers! I've never had any powers! I don't remember anything about what you want me to remember. I was never a hero, or a villain, or anything like that…"

"But you were!" He broke in. He couldn't help it. "If you would just remember…"

"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT! I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" She clutched her skull with both hands, the purse falling to the floor with a thump. "You don't know what it's like having this voice in your head that you constantly have to keep quiet…"

Gar stalled briefly. A voice? Then maybe… "Then don't fight it. Listen to it. It's trying to tell you something…"

She was weeping openly now. "I don't want to. Terra did terrible things. Horrible things. I don't want to be her! I just want my normal life, with my normal step-parents and my normal school and my normal friends!"

He grimaced. 'Well, that hurt.' "You can't hide from yourself. You have to face up to who you are." Gar was surprised to find that he was crying too. "I can help you, like I should've helped you all those years ago…"

"SHUT UP!"

He wasn't sure who she was talking to anymore, him or this Voice. Still, he kept on. "…I can forgive you if you'll just forgive me. That's all. You've just got to accept who you are and STOP HIDING!"

She fell to her knees, sobbing, and clutching her head. Slowly, he walked over to her. He kneeled next to her and rubbed her hair. "If I cause you this much pain, I'll leave. You won't see me anymore. I promise. Maybe that will make the voice go away. Just find a way to stay happy. For me." He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, and she stiffened. "Good-bye. Be happy." He repeated.

He stood and left. She remained in the darkness. Her tears returned when she was alone, her only company the dozens of identical crying girls all around her. The voice returned in the darkness.

It called her a fool.

For once she agreed with it.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Gasping for breath, Star tugged at Roy's short red hair as his mouth and tongue continued their sordid work below her waist. She squeaked as one of his hands left her bare breast to join in on the work below. She thrust her hips upwards, not giving him any doubt as to what she wanted. She writhed on her bed, enjoying wave after wave of pleasure that raced through her like a maelstrom.

She quickly grew tired of the foreplay and pulled his head up with her considerable alien strength. His lips met hers in a fiery kiss, their tongues dancing up a storm. They broke apart as she struggled to remove his belt without destroying it.

"Oh, baby. I missed you." He whispered huskily as she failed, tossing the torn-in-two belt to the side.

"Shut up and kiss me." She ordered, yanking his pants down. He complied, stopping only to fish a condom out of his discarded pant's pocket. After slipping it on, he wasted no time in sliding into her.

Star accepted him eagerly, thrusting her hips upward to meet his, creating a rhythm. They rutted like wild animals, and Roy soon found himself doing his damndest to keep up with the Tameranian princess. Something was weird tonight. She was always wild in bed, but tonight…

Tonight it was like she had been driven mad by lust.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Gar walked into the karaoke bar in a huff, brushing past people in front of him like they weren't even there. Their reactions were all the same; first anger, then (upon seeing his skin-tone) acute awe. Here, amongst these youths who didn't see him everyday, he was a sort of celebrity. He just supposed it came with the territory. It worked to his advantage tonight as he arrived at an empty table and sat down.

The waitress, a cute brunette, walked up to him. "Anything to drink?"

He didn't respond immediately, as he was lost in thought. The girl was Terra, he was more sure than ever. But she didn't _want_ to be Terra for some reason. That voice she was talking about, it _had_ to be Terra, trying to come back out. But T didn't want to be Terra. She wanted to be normal.

And for her to have a normal life, Gar could not be a part of it.

On the other hand, though, the very thought of being apart from her created an almost physical pain. He couldn't think straight. He had to either work-out or… sing.

Yes. Karaoke would clear his thoughts. Then he would know how to proceed.

The waitress, not really the sharpest tool in the shed, had been trying to figure out who this cute green guy was, when suddenly it came to her. "Hey… aren't you Beast Boy?"

He turned his most charming smile on her. "Yeah, I am. Nothing to drink, but do you think you could get me up on stage next?"

Visibly flustered at the local hero talking to her, she simply nodded and sprinted over to the manager. After whispering into his ear, he did a quick look over at Gar, who waved. The manager waved him over, and Gar moved over to him. The crowd parted like the Red Sea. Gar wondered why he'd never noticed this kind of stuff before. He remembered visiting a club with the team during their first encounter with Blackfire, and back then the crowd didn't even care.

Of course, that was only a couple of months into their formation.

'This, I could get used to.' He thought as the hundredth young lady asked for his autograph. The manager ordered the machine operator to shut down the current track ('I Wanna Rock' by Twisted Sister being sung by a rather energetic 17 year old) and pushed the protesting young man off-stage.

He took the mic. "Ladies and gentlemen. We have a rare treat tonight. For years, he has protected us from the forces of evil, first as a Teen Titan, now as his own man. But tonight, he performs for you. Tonight, he fights to save us from bad performances like that last one. Let's give it up for… BEAST BOY!"

The crowd erupted at the sound of his name, and Gar swelled with pride. The machine operator turned to him. "Any particular song you want?"

Gar thought about it as he chose his microphone. He turned to him and grinned. "Surprise me."

The operator shrugged and turned away. Gar took a swig of water from a girl's offered glass, returned it with a wink (which nearly sent her into hysterics), and stepped onto the stage.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

He never saw the girl walk up to the operator. Her trip to the bathroom to clean up had cost her most of her make-up, and her hair now fell across her shoulders in her usual style. "Excuse me." She asked. "Do you have any songs for two?"

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Gar jumped onto the stage and gave the crowd a hearty wave. The stage had a giant screen behind it to provide close-ups of the performers. Noting this, he gave them his trademark 'Pointy Eared Wiggle.'

The girl's shrieks were deafening.

He smiled. This was why he loved karaoke. Up here, he could forget all his problems. He could forget everything. This was better than any drug. He was a _hero_.

The good feeling lasted until the first notes of the song started up. His jaw dropped and he turned to the operator. "Wait, a minute! This is a duet!" The operator merely shrugged. Cursing under his breath, Gar looked at the monitor. Luckily, this was one song he knew by heart…

There were nights when the wind was so cold,  
That my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window…

He paused, wondering if he should do the female parts as well, when a second voice sang…

_There were days when the sun was so cruel  
__That all my tears turned to dust and I just knew my eyes were drying up forever…_

He turned to see T walking onstage, singing into her own microphone, also ignoring the monitor. She'd cleaned up, but her make-up was gone. Somehow, he thought she looked better without it. Her hair fell across her shoulders in a graceful wave. Their eyes met as they continued.

I finished crying in the instant that you left,  
And I can't remember where or when or how.  
And I banished every memory you and I had ever made…

But when you touch me like this,

_Touch me like this_

When you hold me like that,

_Hold me like that_

I just have to admit that it's all coming back to me  
When I touch you like this

_Touch you like this_

When I hold you like that

_Hold you like that_

It's so hard to believe, but it's all coming back to me now.

_It's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now_

There were moments of gold and there were

Flashes of light

There were things I'd never do again but then they'd

Always seemed right.  
There were nights of endless pleasure  
It was more than any lousy love.  
Baby Baby

If I kiss you like this

_Kiss you like this_

And if you whisper like that

_Whisper like that_

It was lost long ago, but

It's all coming back to me

If you want me like this

_You want me like this_

And if you need me like that

_You need me like that_

It was dead long ago but

It's all coming back to me

It's so hard to resist, and

It's all coming back to me

I can barely recall 

But it's all coming back to me now

As the guitar solo kicked in, something happened behind her eyes. One instant she was one way, the next another. It only took a moment, but Gar noticed it. Something was happening here. She looked at him, but it wasn't T, the mysterious blonde school-girl anymore.

"B…Beast Boy?" Terra asked. The eyes seemed to show the change, but her voice sealed it. It hitched slightly as she said his name for the first time in years.

She was back. Terra was back.

He smiled and took her hand. Unsure what to do, they both continued to sing.

But you were history with the slamming of the door  
And I made myself so strong again somehow.  
And I never wasted any of my time on you since then

But if I touch you like this

_Touch you like this_

And if you kiss me like that

_Kiss me like that_

It was so long ago, but

It's all coming back to me

And if you touch me like this

_Touch you like this_

And if I kiss you like that

_Kiss you like that_

It was gone with the wind but it's all coming back to me now

_It's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now._

There were moments of gold and there were

Flashes of light

There were things we'd never do again but then

They'd always seemed right.  
There were nights of endless pleasure  
It was more than all your lousy love  
Baby Baby Baby

When you touch me like this

_Touch me like this_

And when you hold me like that

_Hold me like that_

It was gone with the wind but

It's all coming back to me

When you see me like this

_See me like this_

And I see you like that

_See you like that_

Then we see what we want to see

All coming back to me

The flesh and the fantasy's

All coming back to me  
I can barely recall but it's all coming back to me now

As they came down from the final high note, they pulled close. As the song continued towards it's conclusion, it spoke their words for them perfectly.

If you forgive me all this

_Forgive me all this_

If I forgive you all that

_Forgive you all that_

Then we forgive and forget and it's all coming back to me

Now

_It's all coming back to me now…_

He hugged her closer to him, not sure if he'd ever let her go again. He let his hand caress the back of her head.

When I touch you like this

_It's all coming back to me now_

And if you do it like this

_It's all coming back to me now…_

They were so close they were falling into each other's eyes. With her last bit of self-restraint, Terra whispered the final line.

_And if we…_

Their lips met in a glorious fireworks display, pouring every drop of their time apart into a single kiss. They didn't need air, they would draw life from each other. The audience exploded with cheers and standing ovations, but they didn't care. The crowd was a low annoying buzz in their ears. In their minds, they were alone… and together.

At last.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Roy was losing it. Star had flipped them over and was riding him harder than he'd ever been ridden before. It was almost painful, the way she ground her pelvis into his.

Almost.

Star was losing her mind. The complex mix of sex after time without it and the reawakening of her feelings for Dick from earlier in the day was creating a potent blend of arousal in her core. As much as she wanted to focus on Roy, to leave Dick in the past, it was no use. Now it was Dick who was beneath her, Dick who was thrusting up into her…

_Kori'andar_

That did it. He had only called her by her Tameranian name once before, that too had been in the midst of an intimate situation, though not one this intense. With Roy as a perfect physical substitute, and the voice of Dick in her mind, her mind shattered with a brain-blasting climax. She screamed her pleasures to the heavens above, the image of Dick's face burned into her mind.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Gar and Terra broke apart for air finally, resting their hot foreheads together and doing their best to ignore the manager now on-stage trying to get them to do an encore. He laughed lowly and rubbed his nose against hers.

"I had no idea you were that good of a singer." He told her.

"You should know by now that I'm full of surprises."

"What brought you back?" he asked. She returned the nose rub.

"You did."

They beamed at each other, and closed in for another kiss… and that's when she started screaming.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Roy was proud that he'd made the Tameranian Princess scream, but he just wished she'd stop. He looked up at her. Her back was still arched and she was still screaming to the ceiling. He pushed himself up and reached up to her head.

"Okay, baby. I know I'm good, but now you're just messing with…" he trailed off as he pulled her face to his. "Good Christ…" he muttered.

Her eyes, always a vibrant shade of green, were pure white. She continued to scream.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The club was silent save Terra's screams. Gar lowered her to the floor. "SOMEONE FREAKING CALL 911!" He cried, and at least fifty people immediately yanked out their cell phones. Gar looked into her face. "Terra… Terra, honey, can you hear me? Ter… My God…" He drew back when he saw her eyes.

Her eyes were pure white.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Roy scrambled off the bed and pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket. He hurriedly dialed 911 and gave all the information he could. He was so engrossed in the call, trying to tune out the screams, that he almost didn't catch the fact that she was starting to form words.

"**Ph'n… Ph'nglui…"**

"What… hold on, lady." He put the phone to his chest. "Star? Baby? What are you saying?"

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Although this wouldn't be discovered for awhile, at the exact same instant, Terra began saying the same thing. The paramedics arrived in record time and quickly strapped her to a stretcher. Just before they rolled her out of the club, Gar at her side, she screamed one sentence.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Both girls, who had reached incredible emotional moments at the exact same time, each screamed the same sentence. It was gibberish, and no one had any idea what it meant. In any case, they screamed it once, then passed into a deep, almost coma-like sleep.

It echoed in Roy and Gar's minds as they rode with their respective girls to the hospital.

"**Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn**!"

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Deep in his slumber, the Dread Lord of R'lyeh grunted in contentment.

The Call had been received.

Now there was but to wait.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Author's Note: Now there's a phrase familiar to all Cthulhu mythos fans. For those of you not up to snuff, no worries. It'll all be explained as the story goes on.

We're obviously starting our trek into the Horror landscape, something that'll be much more evident in the next chapter.

Also, to the Lovecraft purists out there, I know that the whole 'screaming and white eyes' thing is no-where in the established mythos, but remember; we've never seen Cthulhu's influence on an alien or a meta-human before.

I think that's it... so until next chapter, remember; A little review never hurt anybody.*

*Anonymous reviews will be accepted.


	4. Chapter 3: 'Bad Blood'

Author's Note: It feels so nice to have people reading and enjoying the story.

The_Force_Is_Strong_With_This_One: Don't worry. They may be AWOL now but our two missing Titans have a part to play in the story yet.

Onward to Chapter 3...

/

Chapter 3

Bad Blood

/

Gar opened his eyes, awakening from his nap. The bright lights dazed him, and he quickly rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. His eyes fell on the clock; 7:00 AM.

He'd been asleep for almost 6 hours.

He took in the hospital room in St. Glen's General Hospital. The white and light blue walls were bare save a few tasteful pictures of flowers. A single potted plant sat on the table next to the room's one bed. He stood, popping the joints in his knees as he did so, and walked to the bedside of the room's single occupant.

'She's still beautiful, even when she's sleeping.' He thought. He stroked Terra's hair and watched her gentle breathing. It was so strange. In a matter of minutes, he'd had her back and then, in a way, lost her again. The single screamed sentence still haunted him. What had it meant? What was happening?

He did not know.

The door opened and the doctor, a veteran physician named Dr. Bruce, came in. He smiled at Gar as he approached the bed. He reached up and absent-mindedly scratched his grey-tinged hair as he stooped and grabbed the chart at the foot of Terra's bed. He examined it, for some time, in silence.

Tired of waiting, Gar spoke up. "So… what's wrong?"

Dr. Bruce looked back and smiled. "Nothing at all, so far as we can tell. She's the perfect specimen, physically. If she indeed had, as you called it, a 'multiple personality disorder,' then the sudden switch between two of them might have brought on a brief psychotic episode."

"Psychotic? So she's going crazy?" Gar exclaimed a little too loud than he'd meant.

Dr. Bruce shushed him. They both glanced at Terra, but she continued to sleep peacefully. "No. She's not going crazy. In fact, she may be better than ever if one personality beat the other." He replaced the chart and started out of the room, patting Gar on the shoulder as he did so. "If she's fine when she wakes up, she can leave. I've already contacted her step-parents."

Gar nodded. "Thanks, Doc."

Dr. Bruce squeezed his shoulder. "Please. I owe you young heroes my daughter's life. She was at that prom a few years back when that spider-thing attacked." As he left the room, he paused. "Come to think of it, that girl that was actually at the prom was admitted here tonight as well."

Gar looked at him. "What's that?

Dr. Bruce thought. "Yes. She's the only orange girl I've ever treated. She had the exact same experience your young friend there did."

/

Gar found Roy sitting outside what the Dr. Bruce had said was Starfire's room.

"Roy." He called. Roy looked up at him and stood.

"Gar! So you heard about Star?"

"Yeah. The doctor told me that this is the second case of something like this happening tonight."

"Really? No kidding…"

Gar shook his head. "I was with the other girl when it happened. She started screaming uncontrollably, right?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah. It was an awful sound. Loud as Hell, too. I swear a window cracked."

A thought occurred to Gar. "Roy, did Star say… er…. scream anything, before she passed out? Like a sentence?"

"Yeah. But it was gibberish. I have no idea what she was saying."

His suspicions realized, Gar went into full 'Hero' mode. "I'll take care of Star. You go back to Steel City and check on Bee. Use the Titans Global Network to check on any females with powers. Jinx, Argent, Kole… all of them. See if anything like this has happened to them."

Roy heard the urgency and authority in Gar's voice and nodded in understanding at the veteran hero. "Right." He grabbed his jacket and looked back at Star's door.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of her Roy."

"Yeah. I know." Ray said, then headed out of the hospital.

/

In the split-second that Roy left, two sets of eyes, one green, one blue, shot open.

/

Gar watched Roy go, then opened the door and headed into the room. Star was surprisingly quite awake and sitting up in bed, looking around the hospital room in quiet confusion. As Gar went to check on her, he quickly realized that he'd forgotten to tone down his sense of smell in all the excitement as the hours old but still thick scent of Star and Roy's activities smacked him in the face.

For an instant, the night's events vanished. He was transported back to a year prior when he and Star had attended a party at Titans Tower East. The party had gotten slightly out of hand and he and Star had ended up making out on the couch. He could still remember the softness of her lips, her abnormally long and probing tongue, the sugary taste of her skin, the fullness of her…

Just as he had done that night, he cut those thoughts out. Both he and Star had agreed that it just felt 'too weird.' Since then, they'd pleasantly settled into their little brother/big sister relationship.

With a final deep breath of the aroma, he forced his sense of smell back down to human levels.

Star heard his breath and turned her eyes to him. "Gar? Why are you here? Why am I here? Where is here? Where is Roy?"

Gar cut off her rapid fire questions with a single answer. "Star, you're in the hospital."

Star's confusion melted into fear. "X'hal, I hurt Roy, didn't I. I lost control… where is he?" She began to become frantic and Gar quickly crossed to her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Star, Roy's fine. He just left to go check on Bee."

The confusion was back. "Bumblebee? Why? Gar, what's going on?"

Gar looked at her. "Star, what's the last thing you remember?"

She lowered her eyes in thought. "Roy had arrived and we were… well… we were doing what we usually do… and then…I was here." She looked back at him. "What happened?"

Gar shook his head. "Alright, this is gonna sound really weird…"

"Please." She interrupted. "I am a self-exiled alien princess talking to her green-skinned changeling best friend. Weird is our lot in life."

He chuckled lightly. "Right. Okay, weird-er then." He inhaled deeply and began. He told her about the screaming, the gibberish sentence, how it had happened to someone else at the exact same time… the whole she-bang. He made it a point to keep the other girl's identity to himself for the time being.

When he finally finished, she looked at him contemplatively. "You said that it happened to another girl? Who was it? Someone we know?"

Gar grimaced. This explanation would be harder by far. "Star… that girl was T. And it turns out that… uh… T is really Terra."

The immediate silence was palpable. Gar quickly attempted to add some humor. "But don't worry. I won't say I told you so."

Star's face immediately switched to one he recognized; exasperation. "Gar, we've been through this…"

"No, Star! It is her. I don't know how it happened, but it did. One second she was T, the next she was Terra. I saw it in her eyes. Two minutes later, she was doing the exact same thing you did. The screaming, the sentence… all of it."

Star looked into his eyes, and what she saw there was a certainty she had never seen from the young hero.

Star broke his gaze and stared at the wall. "It truly is her, then?"

Gar nodded, not sure of what was next.

Her eyes met his and hardened. "Leave the room."

His hands rose in a warding off/defensive posture. "Hey, come on now. That was a long time ago. I mean, she sacrificed herself to save us and the city. You must've forgiven her for betraying us by now…"

"Leave the room…" Star repeated, pulling up the blanket and gesturing to the hospital gown she wore. "So that I may change. I wish to see her."

"Ah." Was all Gar had to say to that.

/

Gar entered the room to find Terra in the same state of confusion Star had been in. She had apparently already consulted Dr. Bruce and was readjusting her skirt as she dressed. She looked up and smiled. "Hey."

He crossed the room to her and took her in his arms. She returned the gesture, glad to feel his arms around her once more. "You okay?" He asked.

She nodded into his shoulder. "Yeah. The doctor told me everything."

He looked at her. "You don't remember?"

She shook her head. "No. The last thing I remember was finishing the song, and the next second I was here. It's all… just a big black-out. The doctor said the same thing happened to another girl?"

"Yes. It happened to me."

Terra looked at the door sharply as Star entered the room. In an instant, the very air was sucked out of the room. Star stood in the door and stared at Terra coldly. Terra gulped nervously.

"Starfire."

"Terra."

Star walked purposefully towards her former team-mate. Terra mentally cowered under the Tameranian's gaze. The last time she and Star had been anywhere near each other, they'd been trying to kill each other. The alien heroine towered over the blonde by a good foot and loomed over her. Terra knew that Star was as powerful now as she'd been back then, possibly even stronger.

She didn't even know if her own powers had returned.

Almost instinctively, Gar wrapped a protective arm around her.

Star looked down on Terra and lowered her face until their noses were nearly touching. Still, Terra did not break her gaze. Finally, Star spoke.

"I have missed you, my friend."

Terra damn-near broke out in tears of relief as she felt Star's arms wrap around her in a crushing bear-hug she knew well. Gar let her go so that she could return it as best she could.. The two old friends started laughing, and soon Gar, caught up in the moment, started to laugh too.

The laughter cut off abruptly as a middle-aged couple entered the room. They took in the three teens cautiously and turned to Terra for an explanation. Terra looked at them nervously. "Gar, Star, these are my step-parents; Alan and Deborah Timm. And I think they're owed an explanation."

Gar and Star did not disagree.

/

The maximum security wing of Steel City Penitentiary was far too quiet tonight, even for veteran guard Keith Roberts. Usually there were at least two or three convicts either protesting their innocence or threatening his life. He was so used to it that tonight's silence… well, it unnerved him, that was for sure.

He looked back and rolled his eyes as the newbie, Lee Smith, struggled to keep up with Roberts' quick pace. 'Why do I always get stuck with the rookies?' he wondered to himself.

Smith looked around at the various high-tech cells. "So, this is where we keep the super-villains, huh?"

Roberts cursed under his breath as he stopped. He turned to the rookie and glared at him. "The official term is 'Meta-Human Criminals,' and you will refer to them as such. Understood?"

Smith nodded in the affirmative before noticing their destination; a strange half-door with nary a lock in sight. "Who's in there?"

Roberts grinned, turned, and continued walking. "The cell of one Sebastian Blood, alias Brother Blood; former cult leader and Headmaster of the H.I.V.E. Academy. He possesses incredible telepathic powers and highly advanced cybernetic implants. He's probably our most dangerous customer." He looked back, still grinning.. "That's why I'm going to introduce you two."

They arrived at the door, and Smith's earlier observation was confirmed; the door did not have a single lock. "If he's so dangerous, where are the locks?"

Roberts pointed at the various circular devices sticking out of the door-frame. "Electro-Magnetic Pulse Generators. If Blood takes one step out of this door, he's toast. He's literally trapped in here." Roberts froze as a thought came to him. "Rookie, you did get the chip, right?'

Smith's breath caught. "Chip?"

Roberts pointed at the back of his head. "Y'know, the chip. The one that allows us to resist Blood's telepathy? Because only meta-humans can resist his power? The one that it's mandatory you get as soon as you're hired?"

Smith smiled. "Oh, sure. That chip. Just had it put in this morning. I'm still a little groggy from the surgery."

Roberts grunted. "And yet they let you arm up? I'll be having a word with the CO." He turned back to the door. The kid needed a crash course in guarding, and hopefully Blood would scare him just enough to get those juices flowing.

Smith breathed a sigh of relief as Roberts opened the door and stepped inside. He quickly followed.

Strangely, the lights were off.

"Weird…" Roberts muttered, reaching for the lights. "Hey Blood! Got a visitor for you. Hope you're decent…" The sentence died in his throat as he switched on the light. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…" he whispered, crossing himself.

The cell was coated in fresh human blood. The thick, red liquid oozed down the walls and pooled on the floor. Lying in the floor were hundreds of metal parts, everything from an eye to an arm. They were all coated in the stuff, and most still had flesh dangling from them.

"He ripped out his own implants…He ripped out his own god-damn implants…" Roberts moaned in quiet horror. The tough-guy façade was gone. All that remained was the guard who had seen nothing like this in 15 years on the job. "Rookie, radio HQ.. Tell them that…"

That was the last thing that he ever said.

There was an abrupt BANG and Robert's brain matter and blood splattered the far wall, adding to the disgusting mix of bodily fluids. His head seemed to collapse in on itself before his body fell to the floor.

Behind him, Smith stood with his pistol in both hands, blue smoke still pouring from the barrel. His eyes stared straight ahead, not blinking and not seeing. A faint red glow came from his pupils. The radio on his belt squawked.

"Smith? What was that noise?"

Without missing a beat, Smith pulled the radio from it's pouch and keyed it. "HQ, this is Smith. Sorry, got a little clumsy and dropped some supplies. Everything's fine."

"Copy, Smith. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Smith dropped the radio unceremoniously to the ground as Brother Blood limped from the shadowy corner where he'd been hiding. One of his arms was gone completely, and one of his legs was hideously mangled. His shoulders, chest, and groin also bore recent, horrible wounds. Half the skin and muscle was gone from his face, making his grin that much more horrible with the exposed bone. Fresh blood matted his gray hair on his scalp.

"Well done, Officer Smith." He cooed, patting him on the shoulder. He knelt and picked up Roberts' key card and looked into Smith's eyes. "Maybe you shouldn't have lied about getting the chip. All this could have been avoided if you'd just explained that your surgery was tomorrow. Ah, well. Que sera, sera; eh, Smith?" He chuckled darkly as he limped out of the cell.

Smith waited for nearly half an hour until he received Blood's final message, then lifted the pistol to his own head. "Cthuhu lives." He whispered.

The next shot brought the guards running, but it was too late. Two guards were dead, and Brother Blood had escaped. He had left only a single message, scrawled on the wall of his cell with his own life's blood;

"THE STARS, AT LAST, ARE RIGHT!"

/

Author's Note: Just as I'm doing with the Titans, I'm taking Blood to the next level.

This chapter is chock-full of little name references...  
St. Glen's: Glen Murakami  
The Timms and Dr. Bruce: Bruce Timm  
Alan and Deborah: My step-dad and mother  
Keith and Lee: Two dear friends of mine.

So, until next time, remember; a little review never hurt anybody.


	5. Chapter 4: 'The Two Towers'

Author's Note: I'm feeling froggy today so I decided to go ahead and throw up Chapter 4, mostly because it's where the story takes it's full left turn from romance to horror.

It's also lengthier than other chapters.

Warning: This chapter contains semi-graphic depictions of grisly acts and very mild lime content.

/

Chapter 4

The Two Towers

/

Gar opened the three bottles of soda and carried them into the living room of Star's apartment. He passed one to Star, then to Terra, and sat next to the blonde on the couch.

Thanking him and reclining in her chair, Star sipped her drink and rubbed her forehead with two fingers, paying special attention to the antennae above her eyebrows.

The past two hours had been incredibly difficult for all three of the former Titans. First, they'd had to convince the Timms that their foster child was indeed a former super-heroine who had sacrificed herself in atonement for betraying her best friends. After getting them to swallow that little tid-bit of information, they'd had to convince them that it would be best for Terra to stay with them for the time being, at least until the whole blacking-out incident was sorted out.

Apprehensively, but trusting in the heroes who had saved the city countless times, they'd agreed.

"Your guardians ask far too many questions." Star muttered.

Terra chuckled. "That's humans, and parents, in general, Star. Put yourself in their shoes." She took on a high falsetto and did a nearly pitch-perfect impression of Star. "'Hi, I'm a super-powered princess from a planet you can't pronounce. Me and my green-skinned, pointy-eared friend here would just like to inform you that the girl you've been raising is actually a former hero slash villain who once saved the entire city from an erupting volcano.'"

Star glared at her from beneath her fingers. "Don't patronize me."

Laughing, Terra looked over at Gar and noticed the self-satisfied smirk on his face. "And what's up with you? You look like the cat that finally got his canary."

Gar looked at her, tracing a finger down her pale skin and glancing at her golden hair. "I did." He quickly morphed in a tabby cat and settled in her lap, purring loudly.

Terra unsuccessfully suppressed her giggle and began to pet him gently.

Star rolled her eyes and resumed rubbing her head. "Well, don't get too cozy, love-birds. We've got things to do. First off, we need to know about your powers. Do you still have them?"

Terra shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I can't feel them like I used to, if that's what you mean."

Star nodded as she took another sip of her drink. "That's not the priority, anyway. There's the black-outs to consider. We need to find out what happened. Any ideas?"

Gar thought about it for a moment before he resumed his normal shape and snapped his fingers at the realization that came to him.. "I've got it! Titans East. They have a computer data-base just like we used to have."

Star stood with a smile. "Yes! An excellent idea. And I must see Roy as well." She added, almost as an after-thought. She made for the door.

Terra looked at her. "Why don't you just call? You guys still have your communicators, don't you?"

Star froze, and the silence in the room became unbearably thick.

"What?" Terra asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

Gar shook his head. "No, it's just that the Titans West Communicators were run on the same tech that ran Vic. When he died, the communicators shut down. Titans East and the rest of Titans Global never had that problem because Vic improved their stuff. He was going to upgrade ours, but…"

Terra lowered her eyes, then looked back at him.

"And Titans Tower? Did it shut-down too?"

Star nodded sadly. "We can't even get inside. The communicators acted as keys."

Terra looked incredulous. "You can lift 7 tons and fire star-blasts. And Gar can become any animal he wants to be, big or small. Why not get in that way?"

Star averted her eyes. "The tower stands in memory of what we once were. I could not willingly disgrace that memory by breaking into it."

Gar took her hand. "Same here. And the place is air-tight. Not even my amoeba form could get in there."

Star nodded, then narrowed her eyes in resolution. "If we want information, I will have to fly to Steel City." Unconsciously, she punched her fist into her palm in a gesture all too familiar to her. She quickly let her arms drop to her sides. Neither Gar nor Terra appeared to notice.

Gar started to stand. "We'll come with you."

Star shook her head. "I must fly at my fastest speed. No form of yours could keep up with me and not harm Terra in the process. Stay here. I should not be more than two hours." With that, she closed the door and was gone.

Gar sat back down in a huff. "She really makes me feel useless sometimes, y'know? Only she could make a friggin' changeling feel useless."

Terra kissed his cheek. "You're not useless." She smirked. "And I can prove it."

"How's that?"

She kissed him again, this time on his ear, then dragged her tongue along it's lobe, sending a pleasant shiver through him. "Think about it. We're finally together again, after all these years. We're gonna be all alone for two whole hours. Star explicitly said not to go _anywhere_. Nobody's going to be _here_. What are we going to do?"

Gar's eyes widened in realization, and he returned her smirk. "I know exactly what you mean."

She narrowed her eyes as she brought her face to his. "And what is it that I mean?'

"It means…"

She leaned forward to claim his lips, but he was gone. She face-planted onto the couch and looked up angrily. "Gar!"

He was pulling out two controllers, the TV already on and blaring. "You wanna play Game Station, right?"

With a growl of frustration, she started to pull back her arm for a punch, but before she could he was back in her face, laughing even as he covered her lips with burning kisses.

"That was not funny." She hissed in between lip-locks.

"It was a little funny." He whispered back, pulling her back with him onto the couch.

/

The two hour time-slot Star had given Gar and Terra was mostly so she'd have plenty of time to talk to Roy about what had happened. She needed more details about exactly what she'd said, but mostly she needed to tell him that this time… after the conclusion she'd come to last night about Dick… it really _was_ over between them. If she had any hope of moving past Dick forever, she couldn't stay around someone who reminded her of him constantly.

Like an emerald shooting star, she blazed across the mid-day sky, arriving in Steel City in little less than half an hour. Titans Tower East sat on the shore of Steel City, it's architecture striking her as so incredibly different than that of the original. She landed in front of the massive main door and activated the door communicator.

"Bee? Roy? Is anybody here? It is Starfire. Is anobody at home?" Confused, she scanned the sky-line for smoke, a tell-tale sign of trouble, but saw none. 'Odd.' She thought.

She looked at the door and noticed something else off; the door was open a crack.

Years of training kicked in, and Star immediately powered up her star-energy before prying the door the rest of the way open. The power was on, and there were no signs of struggle, but she proceeded with caution anyway. "Hello?" She called.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

'Perhaps they are on the common floor.' She thought.

She powered down as she made her way to the elevator and keyed the button to take her to the Common Room. As the elevator closed it's doors and began it's journey, her thoughts drifted back to Terra. The girl either had lost her powers or forgotten how to use them, which was either a good or bad thing.

Good, she couldn't lose control and destroy the city.

Bad, it was one less useful ally in any future battles. And they still had no idea what it was they were up against.

In any case, Gar seemed overjoyed to have her back, and that thought made her smile. Perhaps now, he could turn his mind back to other things; his studies, for one…

_Drip_

Some kind of liquid struck her head. She shrugged. Garth must've gotten into a splash fight with Mas and Minos again.

_Drip_

_Drip_

More insistent now. Scowling, she raised her fingers to the spot where it was dripping and pulled away. The substance was a dark crimson with a syrupy texture. Apprehensively, she brought it to her nose and inhaled it's scent.

Her eyes widened and her star-energy kicked on, burning the substance off of her when she recognized the coppery scent of human blood.

She reached up and tore the roof of the elevator inward and barely caught the body as it fell. Her powers shut off instantly due to shock as she sank to her knees, cradling it. Her breath caught as she stared into the once handsome face, now frozen in a death mask of horror. The young man hadn't even changed out of his clothes from the previous night before he'd been cast down the elevator shaft, breaking his back and neck.

_Roy…_

As Star stared uncomprehendingly into the dead eyes of her lover, the elevator arrived at it's destination and opened it's doors.

She looked out into an abattoir.

The Common Room was soaked in blood. It painted the furniture, the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. Garth was tacked against the wall, pinned like a fish with what looked like Roy's arrows. As such, he'd been gutted, and his organs lay spread on the floor beneath him. The shocked look on his face gave the impression that he'd been awake for the ordeal.

Mas lay against the far wall, his decapitated head sitting on the torn stump of his neck, another of Roy's arrows sticking out of his left eye. A disturbed and confused look graced his features. Minos sat across the way in the same condition.

Star realized, just before she vomited, that their heads had been switched.

Of Bee, there was no sign.

She struggled to stand, wiping her mouth. "Computer." The computer chirped to acknowledge. "Activate security camera playback." She noted the blood was just beginning to clot, and called upon her Biology studies. "The past three hours."

The image played. Silently, she cursed the TV for being Hi-Definition. The image was crystal clear and left nothing to the imagination. She watched as Speedy entered the Common Room from the elevator, then drew his bow and an arrow and proceeded to pin Garth to the wall in four easy shots. The image had no audio, so at least Star was spared the screams. 'Why did he do this?' She wondered. She noticed the soft red glow that seemed to emanate from Roy's eyes as Mas and Minos followed with their respective arrows, leaving only Roy and Bee.

Or so it seemed at first.

Star could not hold back her gasp as the mutilated figure limped out of the elevator behind Roy. Even ripped and scarred as he was, Star recognized him immediately.

Brother Blood.

She understood, now. Speedy had no powers… so he had no defense against Blood's telepathy.

Bee shrank, just as her former teacher had been anticipating. With a glance from Blood, Roy snapped out in a lightning fast grab and caught a little something in mid-air. Emotionlessly, he handed her to Blood. Blood allowed himself a horrible, grisly smirk.

Star screamed as Blood popped the young hero into his mouth and began to chew. She could see a single drop of blood leaking from Blood's exposed teeth.

For the second time in minutes, she felt the threatening taste of bile.

Shockingly, as Blood chewed, his skin appeared to re-grow and reform on his face. As he swallowed, the gaping hole in his face vanished completely. His face looked completely normal again. He turned and smiled at Roy, then shoved him down the open elevator shaft.

At the last moment, she saw realization dawn on Roy's face as his eyes resumed their normal color. He'd died knowing what he'd done. Blood had made sure of that.

Star watched in disgust as Blood grimaced, reached into his mouth, and plucked out what appeared to be one of Bee's wings. He flicked it away and moved forward, still limping, to feed.

Star could watch no more. As Blood used a nearby butter-knife to cut open Garth, she charged up and, with a cry, destroyed the terminal and the screen. Bits of tech and glass flew about her as the wall collapsed under her attack. The smoke cleared, revealing a hole in the wall. Sparing a final glance at Roy's body, she blasted out of the hole and towards Jump City. She had to get away from this… this _madness._

She was so distraught, she never saw the message Blood had scrawled on the ceiling.

CTHULHU WAKES!

/

Terra tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she and Gar continued to tongue-dual. He was holding her so tight, she was amazed she could breathe… and she loved it. His hands coasted down her back to clutch at her skirt-clad buttocks, earning him a pleased moan in response. A slave his to new-found confidence, he slipped his hands further until they slipped beneath the skirt, kneading now her smooth cotton panties. Unconsciously, she ground her pelvis against his slightly, earning her a groan from him as she felt contact with his already fully erect member. They broke apart for air, a thin trail of saliva linking their tongues.

"Whoa." He said, breathing heavily. "Where'd you learn to use your tongue like that?"

Her thoughts drifted for just a moment, but then she smiled and kissed his chin. "Don't worry about it. You're the one who's reaping the benefits."

He forced his way under her neck and began to plant kisses on her throat, earning him little moans with each one. "It's your benefits I'm concerned with."

One hand left her rear and rose to chest-level, where it rested on her blouse-covered bosom. She inhaled deeply as he began to rub it and lightly lick her neck at the same time. "Gar…" she moaned, clutching his head in her hands.

His hand stopped rubbing and slowly reached over and undid the blouse's top button.

She pulled away suddenly, breathing heavily, a gorgeous blush on her face. "What?" he asked. Her expression was unreadable. It seemed a thousand different emotions were going through her mind at once.

For a single, terrified instant, Gar thought she was shifting back into her alternate personality.

Fearing he'd done something wrong, he started to apologize. "Terra. I'm sorry. It's just that I haven't seen you in so long and I missed you so much, and I…"

She cut him off with a palm over his mouth, and shook her head. "You were just going too slow." He watched in rapt attention as she undid the buttons on the blouse and pulled it off, revealing the turquoise bra beneath.

Slowly, he sat up until they were eye to eye. He looked hard into her eyes, trying to see what she was thinking. She met his gaze with equal determination. "Are you sure?" he asked.

She drew his face to hers with a kiss so soft and pure he almost felt like crying. She pulled away just barely and touched her nose to his. "Just stop talking and show me how much you missed me." She whispered.

His lips met hers once more, soon resuming their earlier frantic pace. He pulled her legs around his waist and she obligingly wrapped them tightly around him. Her fingers scratched at the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it up and over his head, letting it fall to the floor. As the collar passed his face, he used the opportunity to leave her lips and begin to kiss and lick her exposed cleavage.

"Ah…" she gasped, arching her back. His hands fumbled with the catch on her bra…

The door slammed shut, and the spell of the moment was broken.

As one, they dove to the floor, scrabbling for their discarded clothes. Gar reached his feet first, pulling his shirt back over his head. "Oh! Hey Star. We weren't expecting you back so soon. You were barely gone an hour. What did you…?" He saw her and froze in mid-sentence.

Terra got to her feet, doing her best to fix her skirt and hair at the same time. Still, despite her best efforts, the blouse only had two buttons done. She looked at Gar and noted his expression. "What's wrong?" She turned to Star… and she froze as well.

Star's face was a mask of pure, unholy terror. Neither Gar nor Terra had ever seen someone so horrified. Her normally tanned orange skin was now a much paler, sickly color. Her eyes were wide and unseeing. Her moth hung open and pulled in short, shallow gasps.

She was trembling.

"Roy…Bee…"

Her knees buckled and she collapsed. Terra and Gar raced over to her, but she was already getting unsteadily back to her feet. "Forgive me…" She whispered.

"Come on." Gar said, and he and Terra helped her to her chair. She sat down heavily, her breathing and skin-tone returning to normal. Gar raced into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the kitchenette and filled it with tap-water. He ran back and handed it to her.

She drew deeply from the glass and smiled at him. "Thank you, Gar."

Terra sat on the couch. "What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Star looked at her with deadly seriousness. "What I saw was far worse than any ghost."

Gar sat next to Terra. "What were you saying about Bee and Roy? Did something happen?" An image flashed in Gar's head of someone that looked a lot like Roy striking Star years earlier. His hands clenched into fists. "Did he hurt you?"

Star shook her head. "No. Someone hurt him. He... he hurt all of them…" She fell into sobs, great rivers of tears flowing from her cheeks.

Terra was taken aback. She'd never seen Star weep so hard.

Neither had Gar, even when Vic had died. "Star, what happened?"

Star drew her open sadness back into a sniffle before wiping her eyes. "B…Blood. It was Brother Blood."

"Who?" Terra asked.

"He appeared after… you did your volcano trick. He took over the H.I.V.E. Academy and used his mind-control powers to brain-wash the students. He had a sick obsession with Vic. We beat him, and the last I heard he was still in jail."

Star continued, slowly talking about finding Roy's body, the massacre in the Common Room, and the video of Blood.

"You didn't see Bee's body?" Gar asked, a spark of hope in his mind.

Star looked at him, the horror returning to her eyes. "No. Gar…he ate her. Alive and whole. I saw it all on the tape."

Terra stood. "Excuse me, but I think I'm going to be sick." She rushed to the bathroom and shut the door, but they could still hear the retching.

Star turned back to Gar. "Not just Bee, either. He drank some of Garth, Mas, and Mino's blood. Every-time he…fed… he seemed to get more whole. I blew up the wall before I saw anymore."

Gar nodded slowly. "So he's got a new power?"

Star returned the nod. "Or he just kept it hidden until now." She thought back to the wall. "I'm sorry. I blew up the database. I just wasn't thinking straight. Could you blame me?"

Gar took her hand. "Hey, I understand. We'll figure something out later. We need to focus on Blood now. He has to pay."

Star shook her head. "No. Whatever Blood's doing, it has something to do with my and Terra's black-outs. I'm sure of it. It's all too soon together to be a coincidence. We must continue on that path. I suppose the best thing to do is…"

She cut off as a familiar voice blared from the TV. Gar remembered he hadn't turned it off before he and Terra had started making-out, and now he was glad.

"**Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn**!" The recording of Terra screamed on the News At Noon broadcast. Recognizing her own voice, Terra appeared out of the bathroom and stared. The image was from a hand-held camera in the karaoke bar's audience. Terra was strapped to a stretcher as she screamed the mean-nothing sentence. "What did I just say?" Terra asked out loud.

Star's grip on the glass she was holding finally got to be too much for the fragile material, and it shattered. None of the teens moved an inch at the sound.

Finally, Terra sat next to Gar and leaned against him. He protectively put an arm around her. Now _she_ was shaking. "So what now?" he asked.

Star took a deep breath and stood. Her star energy blazed to life as her determined look returned. "I did not wish to violate the memory of our happy times… but I will do it if it means finding out what is going on."

Gar raised an eyebrow. "The power?"

"An obstacle. One that can be overcome."

He grinned and stood, reaching for his uniform. "Sounds good to me." He looked at Terra. "You can stay here if you want. At least until you feel better."

She shook her head and stood beside him, at her proper place. "Powers or no powers, you guys aren't going anywhere without me with that psycho on the loose."

Gar smiled. He turned to Star. "For Titans East?"

Star nodded sadly. "For Roy."

/

Titans Tower sat on it's island alone and unloved, just as it had for the past three years. The island that once held not only it, but also the various training grounds, had become overgrown and unkempt with age. The tower's location had saved it from the majority of vandals, but some super-powered thugs had still managed to leave a final insult at the Titan's expense. Inside, the rooms sat still and quiet, the sunlight creating unwanted patches of light on the floor and walls.

The wall-sized window that offered a gorgeous view of the bay from the Tower's Common Room suddenly shattered inward with a flash of emerald energy, spraying glass and debris every which way. Star floated in and lighted on the carpet of the place that had been her home for years.

The place she hadn't been inside since the death of Vic.

A green pterodactyl floated in behind her, it's blonde passenger already jumping to the floor. It shifted back into Gar's normal form. He offered Terra a smirk. "Enjoy the ride?"

Catching his double meaning, she smiled and punched him in the shoulder. "Shut-up."

Star lit the dark room with a star-bolt wrapped hand, casting the dark parts of the room in an unearthly green glow. "We should try to find the energy relay. I may be able to reactivate it with my star-energy and…" A shadow that survived the light's intrusion moved without warning in the corner. She blasted at it in a well-trained reaction.

"Look out!" She cried as the shadow bolted across the room until it was right in front of the three teens. It pooled before them for a moment before it exploded in a brilliant expansion of darkness. As it sprouted awful tentacles and many mouths, it's hundreds of red eyes narrowed in hatred. It spoke in a voice like a stone sarcophagus opening deep within a grave.

"_GET OUT!"_

Star blasted at it, but her beams of light were swallowed in the mass of darkness. It advanced on them, and even Star backed up in fear. Of all the things she'd seen today, this beast was pushing her mind towards the breaking point. "What are you?" She demanded.

The thing reared back and roared a cry that shook the roof of the tower. It leered at them, viscous saliva dripping down it's many fangs. It's flailing tentacles inched towards them.

Terra had never felt so helpless than at this very moment. Right now she'd sell her soul just to have her powers back so she could at least go out helping. She tried to hold Gar, but he was moving already.

He was moving forward.

Towards the monster.

"Gar, no!" She nearly screamed, but he kept walking resolutely forward.

The thing leaned in close to his face, and he smelled it's rancid breath. Even that couldn't distract him from the scent he'd caught the instant it had appeared. It was a smell he would never forget; incense and old books. He locked eyes with the beast. "We mean no harm to your mistress. Please just tell her that we're here. Tell her… tell her that her friends are here to see her."

The monster's eyes narrowed as it looked into his soul, looking for lies. There were none. It grunted an affirmative and dissolved back into it's original puddle, then bolted from the room with shocking quickness.

Star and Terra looked unbelievingly at Gar. "How did you do that?" Terra asked.

Gar shrugged. "I know it's boss. In fact, we all do. Isn't that right?" He asked to the figure now rising out of the floor from a pool of shadow energy.

Star and Terra stared in disbelief as the figure pulled the white hood from her head, letting her long purple hair cascade down her back. She regarded them with a small smile that they all knew well.

"RAVEN!"

/

The figure, cloaked in the shadows, watched the reunion in the tower through a pair of high-powered binoculars. His scowl deepened. So that was where Raven had been hiding for the past few years. Obvious, really…

He took in the gaping hole that Star had created and considered swooping in and arresting them for destruction of private property, except…

Except the Tower wasn't really private property anymore. Or public, for that matter. It was simply… there.

He lowered the binoculars and stood. He'd continue to tail them, just in case. He'd been following them since he'd heard that something had happened to Star. Since then, he'd found out about Terra's re-awakening and the following massacre of Titans East. The events had stunned him, but years of training from the World's Greatest Detective had allowed him to keep his emotions in check.

He reached into his belt's compartment and pulled out the grappling hook. As he launched it, he reflected once again on what Blood had done to Titans East.

That would not happen to Star.

He would die first.

/

Utilizing the power he'd taken from Aqualad, Brother Blood stared up at the Tower from where he was submerged. He could almost taste their powers…

But there was a blank spot; a power, but one being kept in check. He could sense a... latent power, not yet unlocked. He focused, trying to determine it while not revealing his position to the empath… and he had it.

A geo-kinetic.

He chuckled lowly, sending a stream of bubbles to the surface. Mentally, he offered a prayer of thanks to his Dread Lord.

Things were going to be much more interesting very soon. He just had to wait for her powers to return.

And he was very good at waiting.

/

Author's Note: So the gang is starting to pull together. The massacre of Titans East wasn't pretty, but necessary. I needed to establish Blood as a totally different force than he was in the show. What better way to do that than take out those that vexed him before?

Pretty sure that's all for the day, so remember; a little review never hurt anybody.


	6. Chapter 5: 'Reunions and Romances'

Author's Note: This is Chapter 5, the longest and pen-ultimate chapter of 'The Call: Part 1.' I spent a long time fixing this baby up, trying to get it just right.

This chapter could very well be considered the last bit of true fluff in the story. Think of it as a roller coaster. Chapters 1-3 were the first lift, Chapter 4 was the first drop, and now we're on the second lift, heading towards the drop-off to oblivion.

WARNING: This chapter includes Major Lemon Content™. If you are offended by written depictions of consensual sex, or are under the age of 18, please skip the section. On the flip side of the coin, if you're looking for Penthouse Letters type stuff, look elsewhere. This scene is more about the thoughts and emotions that come with having sex for the first time. There is no 'dirty talk.' On a final note, the ages of both parties involved in the lemon content are sixteen years old, which is legal in certain states. END WARNING

There, think that about covers it. Hopefully won't censor my story now.

/

Chapter 5

Reunions and Romances

/

The next fifteen minutes were positively surreal for the three young heroes. Three years ago, the girl sitting and talking to them had vanished. Now, here she was before them, looking no worse for the wear.

Raven no longer wore the same black leotard she had worn three years ago. It was now the purest white, along with it's cape, hood, and boots. Her hair had grown out to reach the small of her back. Her skin was still it's usual pale grey, which kept her lack of sunlight from showing.

They were all sitting in the Common Room now, enjoying the light breeze that blew in from the recently destroyed window, which Raven pointed out was the first fresh air the room had had in years. She had just explained that after Vic's death, she'd returned to the Tower, not realizing then that the systems had shut-down.

"But, Raven…" Gar started. "Why didn't you ever come out?"

Raven looked at him and said without a trace of sarcasm, "No one ever came and looked for me."

That shut them all up for awhile.

"So… how did you breathe?" Gar asked next. "This place is supposed to be air-tight."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Some of the windows open from the inside."

"Ah." Satisfied, Gar sat back.

Raven nodded in Terra's direction. "So, it really was you back then, huh? Why the sudden change back?"

Terra shrugged. Raven wasn't exactly reacting the way she'd been expecting. The Raven she had known those years ago should have been more suspicious. After all, she had tried to drown Raven personally. "No idea, exactly. But, if I had guess, it would have something to do with him." She said, draping Gar's arm over her shoulders.

Raven visibly stiffened at the outright display of feelings. "You care for each other very much."

They nodded.

Raven forced a small smile. "Sorry. I… I haven't talked to anyone in a while. I haven't had to subdue my empathy since Cyborg… since that day." Her gaze drifted to Star, sensing the ambient feelings of discomfort and shock around her. "If you want to talk about anything…" She trailed off.

Catching the drift that Raven didn't want to talk in front of the others, Starfire merely smiled and nodded at her oldest and closest friend. She stood and walked over to the half-demon and hugged her. Raven stiffened once again, especially when she felt Star's warm tears on her shoulders. "I have missed you so much…" She whispered.

Raven returned the embrace slowly, and let a cracked whisper break through her resolve. "I missed you, too, Star."

Gar and Terra took in the touching scene, looked at each other, and stood. Raven noticed and pulled away.

"And where are you two going?"

Gar smiled. "I haven't been here in three years, and Terra for longer than that. We're going to look around." He nodded his head in Star's direction, indicating that the two could talk privately while they were gone.

Raven nodded in understanding. "Be careful. I've shut down the majority of my Shadow Guardians, but there may be one or two still roaming about." Gar nodded and began to walk off, Terra following. "Beast Boy, you'll need this!" Raven called.

He turned and caught the flash-light she tossed. "Thanks. Y'know, Raven, you can call me Gar now. Everyone else does."

She looked confused. "We're using first names on a regular basis now? What about secret identities?"

He looked at her, remembering something she'd said when they first met. "Raven… I'm green."

She looked him up and down. "Point taken."

Laughing, he and Terra headed towards the elevator.

Once they'd reached it, they realized it wasn't working. Nothing was. For some reason, it made them laugh even harder. It felt good to laugh. It kept away the thoughts of Titans East. They quickly headed for the stairwell.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"I want to show you something." He said cryptically, and morphed into a velociraptor, catching the flash-light in his teeth. He tilted his head, indicating her to climb onto his back. She did, and let out a whoop of excitement as he raced up the flights of stairs, allowing his sense of smell and memory to guide him.

They raced through the darkness for Terra didn't know how long. She clutched her arms about his neck tightly. Finally, they reached their destination, wherever that was. Gar morphed back to human form and nimbly caught Terra in his arms. "Nice catch." She commented as he let her down.

"Phanks." He replied, pulling the flash-light from his mouth.

"Where are we?" She asked as he flicked on the light. Her breath caught when the beam illuminated the name on the door before them.

'TERRA'

"Surprise." He said quietly when she didn't say anything immediately.

She turned to him. "You kept it the same?"

He smiled at her. "Well, almost. I aired it out and cleaned it once a month, just in case you came back."

She started laughing again.

"What?"

She wiped a tear from her eye. "Gar, no offense, but I've seen your room…"

He gave her a look of mock-scorn. "Well, that's gratitude for you, I guess. Look. I'll show you." He reached out and pulled at the sliding door's edge. With no power, it slid easily. They stepped inside, looking around with the flash-light. "Whoa… Raven must've either had a break-down or was seriously bored."

The room should have been dusty, but it looked brand new. In fact, it looked just as clean as the day they'd left that fateful morning. Even the painted canyons on the walls looked like they'd been refurbished.

"Why do you think she did this?" He asked her.

She looked into his eyes. "Maybe she wanted everything okay when we came back."

Gar made a mental note to check the other rooms if he had a chance.

They stepped further inside and waved the flashlight's beam around. The painted stars on the ceiling still glittered slightly from the alien paint Star had provided. Terra's bed sat on the far wall, it's blankets crisp and without a crease.

Terra saw something that made her breath catch in her throat, and, for the briefest moment, to flash back.

Her lap-top sat on her desk; the same lap-top she'd used to signal the attack on the team.

Another kind of darkness clouded her vision and she felt her breath catch. Gar's voice came as if far away.

"Terra?"

She looked at the worried look in his eyes, and just like that the darkness was gone. She smiled as she resumed breathing normally. "I'm fine. Come here."

As Terra leaned forward to kiss him, the flashlight fell to the ground from Gar's hands as he wrapped her in his arms and lit something in the corner. Something shiny.

Terra aborted the kiss at the last second, much to Gar's chagrin. She followed the beam to the corner and picked up the object on the floor.

The heart-shaped box Gar had made her on the night of their first date.

"_I got a little crazy with the glue gun…"_

The object brought a storm of emotions to the surface. "I… I thought it was destroyed…" She said quietly.

He shook his head as he walked up behind her and took her by the shoulders, burying his face in her hair. "I saved it." He said simply.

She pressed back into him, fighting back tears. She'd cried enough for one day, thank you very much. "I'm glad. Do you know why it means so much to me?" She asked him.

He made a non-committal sound in her hair.

"It was the moment I knew I didn't just like you. It was the moment I really fell in love with you."

Gar spun her around, using the flashlights dim light to see her face. "Say that again."

She laughed as she set the box to the side, and brought her hands to his shoulders. "Gar, for you, I've been back for a day. For me, I've been back for _three years_."

"Huh?"

"I woke up on the day Vic died, but T was too strong at that point. She wouldn't let me out, Gar. So I had to watch as she never got too close to you. I couldn't even feel it when you hugged her." Her last words cracked with emotion. "When you turned on me, I was consumed by hate. Gar… my last thought before I went to sleep was that I loved you. Being unable to touch you since then was almost…"

"…A physical pain." He finished for her.

She nodded. "I've had to wait three years to say those words to you, for something like this to happen. Please, let me love you, now that I can."

They drew together in a long, lingering kiss that set their blood boiling and their skin on fire. Their hearts quickened and they felt the slight giddy-ness that only two young people finding love for the first time can feel. He pulled away slowly and looked into her eyes before he leaned in close to her ear.

"Terra… I've loved you since the very first day I met you. I love your smile and your laugh, and I love your frown and your fury. I love everything that you are and ever will be. I will hold onto you, fight for you, and protect you until my dying breath, and even then my spirit will still watch over you. I love you, Terra. Always." He sealed it with the lightest kiss on her earlobe. He pulled back to see that, despite her best efforts, she was crying again.

"That was beautiful." She said, wiping her eyes.

He grinned. "The others said it was too long to put on the marker."

She laughed a little and he kissed the remaining tears away. They drew in for another kiss, this one sparking a fire deep within their cores. When they parted, she tilted her head in the direction of the bed. Without another word, he scooped her up and carried her to it.

/

Raven sipped her tea thoughtfully as Star continued on with her story. She talked about the black-outs, the recovery of Terra, and finally the massacre of Titans East by Brother Blood.

"It was as though their life's blood allowed him to regenerate." She finished.

Raven nodded. "There are certain cults that I've read about that had that ability. Based on the additional information I got from those books, we should also be prepared for the possibility that he took their powers as well."

Star looked at her, startled. "He could do that?"

"It's a possibility. There's no limit to what some gain when they swear allegiance to some dark power. You remember what happened to Slade when he was working for my father."

Star nodded. "So, that brings us to now. What can we do? Can the power for the data-base be reactivated?"

Raven shook her head. "No. All the circuits are fried. Only Vic or someone like him could fix it."

Star's face fell. "Then there is no hope."

Raven set her tea down and scooted closer to her. She took Star's face in her hands and turned it to hers. "There's something else we can try, if you trust me."

Star blinked and averted her eyes. "Um, Raven…I understand that you have not had personal contact in quite a while. And while I am flattered, I must confess that I have not been with another woman since I slept with Argent last year."

Raven mentally face-palmed. "That's not what I was talking about… wait a second. You slept with Argent?"

Star managed a weak smile. "Yes, before I settled on Roy, I… I believe the term is 'experimented?'"

Raven nodded slowly, apprehensively.

"Yes. I experimented to find out my preference. In that course, I was intimate with Herald, Bushido, Hot Spot, Jericho, and Argent." She name-dropped, counting off the carnal conquests on her fingers.

"That's… very interesting, Star."

"Yes. It was quite the experience, I can tell you. Bushido had one skill in particular that…"

Raven attempted to steer the conversation back on course before it slid into total depravity. "Star, back to what I was saying; I could look into your mind and try to find out what happened."

Star brightened immediately. "Yes! That sounds perfect."

Raven allowed herself a small smile in return. "Alright then. Do you remember the meditation techniques I taught you?"

Star nodded.

"Good, because this could take awhile since I haven't done it in a few years."

"How long?" Star asked.

"An hour. Maybe more."

"That long? Won't Gar and Terra be worried?"

Raven cast a small glance upward where she could easily sense the storm of emotions above. "Trust me, Star. They have more than enough to keep them occupied. Come on." She stood and Star followed her on the way to her inner chambers.

/

It seemed to Terra that not only had Raven been keeping the rooms tidy, but she'd also been doing the laundry somehow. The sea of blankets that surrounded her bore the familiar scent of the team's usual detergent. Her hands clenched at them as Gar removed the last button of her blouse and kissed the exposed skin.

She sat up on her elbows to pull the blouse off and cast it to the floor along with Gar's shirt. Gar kissed his way up her smooth stomach, over her cleavage, and began to kiss and lick her throat, intending to mark her as his own. His hands slid beneath her and she arched her back so he could reach the bra clasp. He fumbled with it, then tried again, looking for a way to release the damned thing.

"Here. Let me." She managed to say in between moans. Her own hands left the bed-spread and disappeared beneath her, and suddenly the bra loosened. Gar was straddling her waist and he sat back on his knees as she removed the item, revealing her milky B-Cup breasts, topped with candy-pink nipples, already erect. Her chest rose and fell with each soft breath she took. She looked at him, her eyes half-lidded with desire.

The sight of her rendered him speechless.

"Well?" She asked impatiently. "Are you just going to stare at them all day?"

Without another word, he leaned back down and took one nipple into his mouth, earning him a gasp from Terra. His other hand went to her remaining breast and began to knead, massaging the bud with his thumb. Terra writhed beneath him, gasping and moaning as she raked her nails across his back.

Gar was mentally reeling. Twenty-four hours ago, he'd been arguing with Star over Terra's true identity. And now… now, here she was.

No. Here _they_ were.

Some people would say they were moving a little fast, but Gar disagreed. After all, this had been building for over three years.

He alternated his attentions to the opposite side of her chest, ensuring that each of the globes of flesh received equal attention.

She grasped his shoulders and pulled him up to her face to kiss him hungrily. She shifted her weight and used it to flip them over so that she was now straddling him.

He looked up at her when they parted, and her chest was now positively _heaving_ with pleasure. She leaned down, making him think she wanted to kiss some more, but diverted at the last second and captured his earlobe, grinding it between her teeth.

Now it was his turn to groan.

She kissed her way down his throat and began to slither down his body. She felt his member pulse against her stomach. 'Is that really happening because of me?' she wondered, dragging her tongue across his forest green nipple.

Her sexual education classes had all talked about the science of sex, but none of them had ever mentioned this; the pure ecstasy and power that came with having this kind of effect on someone…

She kissed and licked her way down his stomach and toned abs until she tasted cloth. He was breathing very heavily now.

He looked down at her, but her face was hidden by the curtain of her hair.

"What do you want, Gar?" She asked in a voice he'd never heard her use before. It was husky and sensual… and he loved it. He felt her stroke his manhood through his pants.

"Guh… I… I want you…" He forced out through gritted teeth. She had to stop doing that. This was his first time, after all, and he didn't want to blow it so soon.

And it was really starting to hurt down there.

He felt the tug as she pulled the waist-line of his pants down and lifted his hips to help. The last bit of his uniform slid off and was kicked against the wall.

Terra stared in wonder at the rigidly erect object before her. It was a darker green than the rest of him, and rushing blood had caused the head to turn a deep purple. It wasn't as big as the ones she'd seen in magazines in the other girls had brought to school, but it was still quite big to her. 'That's… supposed to go inside me?' she thought to herself, terrified and strangely thrilled at the thought. She reached out a single hand to grasp him, marveling at it's smoothness, and gave an experimental pump.

Gar's hips responded immediately, thrusting upwards. "Terra…" He moaned.

The way he moaned her name like that… well, she could definitely get used to it.

With a flick of her head she tossed her hair behind her, allowing her to see his face. He was flushed and small beads of sweat clung to his forehead. He looked down at her, and she allowed herself a smirk; he had on the most serious face she'd ever seen him wear.

'Why wouldn't he?' She wondered. 'I've got his whole world in my fist.'

She began a slow, steady stroke from base to tip and his head fell back as thick moans of pleasure began to escape his throat. She wanted to taste him, to see what sort of reaction that would get, but she knew their time was limited. She slowly stopped and let go, moving to the side of the bed.

His eyes snapped open and he shot up to a sitting position when the contact ended. He watched as she stood next to the bed and moved for her skirt.

She unzipped it and let it fall to the ground where it landed with a soft flutter of material. She stepped out of it and kicked it away with a her foot.

One piece of clothing was now all that separated them.

He watched in silence as she hooked the sides of her turquoise panties and pulled them down, stepping out of them. She stood straight and faced him, fully exposed. He scooted to her until his legs were hanging off the bed and took her in.

Her womanhood was surrounded by a curly thatch of pubic hair that was a darker shade than that on her head. He could just barely see the slightest hint of pink inside the outer lips. He noted the moisture coating the entire area. 'Did I do that?' He wondered in awe. He inhaled and caught the scent of her arousal.

It awoke something in his animal genes, and he grew harder, if possible. The Beast within began to awaken and force it's pure instinct into his mind, clouding it.

_He could take her. She's willing but can still say no. Best take it now, before she can change her mind. Throw her to the floor, to her stomach, take her like the animal you know you are…_

"Gar?'

Her sweet, worried voice silenced the Beast's. He looked at her face. She looked worried.

"What's wrong?" She asked, then began to cover herself. "Is it… is it me?"

He caught her hands and brought them to his face, kissing each in turn. "No. Nothing's wrong. You're beautiful."

She smiled as he released her hands and they found his shoulders, pushing him back onto the bed. She crawled on top of him and crushed his lips in a fiery kiss. They rolled so that he was atop her, in between her legs.

She could feel the warmth of his member on her thigh and, God help her, she was aroused even more.

As they enjoyed the feeling of their hot, bare skin rubbing against the other, a thought suddenly popped into Gar's head. He broke the kiss and slapped a hand against his forehead in annoyance. "Crap, Terra! I don't have any condoms." He felt like a dirt-bag, getting them both so worked up and now unable to finish...

"Purse..." She breathed huskily, trying to ensnare his lips once more.

He dodged. "What?"

"In my purse. Second pocket."

He looked at her apprehensively.

She saw the question in his eyes and rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. "Oh, stop it. We had a sex-ed class and they were handed out to all of us. As a precaution."

"Oh." A pause. "That's cool." He reached for her purse on the floor and rummaged through it.

Terra waited impatiently as he searched it's contents for the foil wrapper. "Second to the left…" She growled.

In an almost 'EUREKA' moment, he proudly pulled the condom from the purse and held it over his head triumphantly. He quickly ripped it open and looked at it, his enthusiasm dying.

"Well?" She asked.

"Uh..." He grinned sheepishly. "I really don't know how to use one of these."

If Terra hadn't been so sexually frustrated, she could've laughed. Instead, she felt like choking the life out of him.

"Here. Let me." She sat up and took it from him. Just as the instructors had shown, she slipped it over the head and rolled it all the way down the shaft, smoothing it out as best she could. "Now," she asked, smiling and planting a small kiss on his lips. "Do you need any further instructions on how to make love to me?"

He shook his head and kissed her, slowly and deeply. He pushed her back onto her back. He reached down to grasp his length, searching for her entrance.

"There…" She whispered when she felt the tip touch her lower lips.

With a deep breath, Gar slid into her as slowly as he could.

They both gasped, him at her warmth and tightness, and her at the sensation of being filled.

He kept pushing until he'd reached a certain barrier. He'd known this was coming, and he was dreading it. He kissed her softly… and broke through with a single thrust.

She broke the kiss and stifled her scream of pain by biting into Gar's shoulder. The coppery taste of blood struck her tongue.

He stilled and waited for her to recover. After her breathing slowed and she pulled her face from his shoulder, he looked at her and brushed the hair out of her face. "Is it okay?" He asked.

She nodded and wiped the tears of pain from her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yeah. Go." She whispered.

He began to thrust, setting a slow, steady pace, allowing her to get used to the feeling. Gar himself was in a state of euphoria. He knew he wouldn't last long, but first he had a mission to accomplish. From his readings of some of Star's magazines, he knew that girl's didn't typically finish their first time.

He intended to make Terra the exception to that rule.

But that slippery, warm tightness of hers was making things _very_ difficult.

Terra looked up at him in wonder as he continued the thrust into her, holding back for her. Slowly, the pain began to give way to a dull sensation of pleasure. It grew and her whines of pain began to resemble signs of pleasure. Her breath began to quicken in time with his, and she pulled his head down for another kiss. "Faster?" She asked.

He complied.

Now those small moans became tinny cries in time with each thrust. She began to lift her hips in time with his thrusts, trying to pull him in deeper, trying to become one with him.

They were both sweating profusely now, the slickness of it aiding in their act of love. They stared into each others eyes as their breaths continued to speed up with the effort.

Gar was losing it. With no other choice, he made a final gamble, something he'd seen on a porno once. He took one of his supporting hands and lowered it to the place where he and Terra were joined. With his index finger he began to rub the approximate area of her clitoris.

Bingo.

Her cries became that much louder and her hips began to literally pivot into his.

It was too much. Gar felt his orgasm hit and his breath sputtered as the tip of the condom began to fill. His time was limited now. For Terra, he didn't stop.

For her, he never would.

She stared up at him in dazed amazement. She tried to speak. "Gar…Gar… I'm…"

The last of his climax hit and his hips pistoned into hers as he fired his last volley, thrusting his manhood that much farther into her, hitting a sensitive area that had never been reached.

Her breath caught and her back arched as her own orgasm hit. She clutched Gar to her chest as lights began to flash before her eyes. They looked eerily familiar. With a strangled cry, she reached the peak and began the long journey down.

Gar slowed his thrusts until they were simply lying together, breathing heavily and sweat drenched. His arm buckled and he fell onto her, her breasts cushioning his fall.

She barely noticed. As her breathing returned to normal, she reflected on what she had seen, trying to figure out what it was. Suddenly, it hit her. "Fireworks…" She said softly.

"What?" He croaked breathlessly, listening to her slowing heart-beat.

"The fireworks, Gar. I saw the fireworks from the carnival." She began to laugh weakly and, soon enough, so was he.

/

Deep in her meditative state, Raven felt the emotional highs of Gar and Terra's coupling and did her best to ignore it.

'They're happy. That's all that matters.'

She vaguely remembered that she had once harbored intense hatred for Terra and a secret liking for Gar, but years of solitude had all but crushed those thoughts from her psyche.

Beside her, Star sat in a similar cross-legged position, also on her way to enlightenment.

"Star, are you with me?"

"Yes." Came the quiet reply.

"Good. I'm going to enter your mind now. It's going to feel a little weird at first. Okay?"

"Okay."

Raven concentrated and began her mantra. "Azarath metrion zinthos… azarath metrion zinthos… azarath metrion zinthos… azarath metrion zinthos…" The chant continued, and Raven felt herself slip into Star's consciousness.

It was like slipping into a pool of warm water; not entirely unpleasant. She relaxed and let the current of Star's thoughts pull her along. She floated past memories of the Titans, of Dick, of Gar, of Roy, and even her various 'exploits.'

The particular memory of Hot-Spot distracted to until she ran smack-dab into a sort of mental wall. Dazed, she shook her head to clear her vision and took in the wall.

It was massive, reaching up beyond her point of sight. It seemed to be carved from some sort of marble-like stone, and it was covered in a slime-like residue that made her skin crawl when she touched where it had stuck to her cloak. 'Ectoplasm?' She wondered. The entire wall seemed to be moving slightly…

No, it wasn't moving. It was literally _crawling_ with nameless monstrosities. The beasts were about the size of a toddler and were a bizarre mix of human and anthropoid features. They scuttled along, paying her no mind.

'Sweet Azar, Star. What on Earth contacted you?' She thought, though she had a sneaking suspicion that this… thing, whatever it was, wasn't quite of this world.

With no other choice, Raven focused and fired a continuous stream of energy from her hands, scattering the creatures. They hissed in annoyance as they scuttled away from the bright light.

This wall was coming down, and then they would get the answers they were seeking.

/

Gar sat on the edge of the bed and stretched. He looked in the direction of the room's walk in closet and saw the bobbing glow of the flashlight through the slit at the bottom.

Terra had said that she was 'feeling nostalgic' and wanted to wear some of her old clothes.

Gar himself was still blown away by what had happened. 'What a difference a day makes.' He thought, reaching for his pants.

He was almost fully dressed and was pulling on his left boot when he heard the closet door open.

"How do I look?" She asked.

He looked up and was taken aback. He was struck slack-jawed by the sight before him.

She had put on her old outfit of tan pants and long-sleeved black shirt emblazoned with the Titans symbol. She'd grown, but the shirt still mostly fit. It simply showed a bit more mid-rift than it used to. She had combed her hair and tied it back in a pony-tail that trailed down her back. Her goggles dangled from her neck. Her gloves were clutched in her left hand, but she quickly stuffed them into the pants pocket.

"Well?" She asked. When he still didn't answer, she spun, giving him a 360 view. "Okay, so the pants are a little tight, but I can get new ones later…"

"No way. The pants stay. Just spin around a couple more times…"

Laughing, she ran to the bed and tackled him on it, kissing him hard. "Thank you. For everything." She said once they parted.

He smirked. "I thought that was my line." She laughed again as he kissed her nose. "Come on. Star and Raven will be wondering where we are."

Terra nodded and got off of him. He finished dressing and, with one last look back, they left the room.

Terra's clothes lay on the floor, a discarded relic of a life she no longer needed.

Not anymore.

/

Meta-physical sweat ran down Raven's forehead as she continued to wear down the mental wall inside of Star's mind. She moved her hands to manipulate the energy she was projecting, moving it back and forth across the wall, chasing away the fell creatures that scuttled along it's surface.

'What is this?' She wondered for the hundredth time.

While focusing her powers to bring the wall down, she'd been mentally going over the clues Star had provided her with. What could possibly have contacted Star and Terra and left something like this behind while they blacked-out?

After what felt like hours, she felt a sudden tremble and allowed herself a small flare of triumph. That triumph ended the instant the wall gave way...

...and the madness swept over her.

It drove the breath from her lungs and threatened to swallow her whole. Images filled her mind...

...an angular, impossible island city...

...an old steam ship...

...a massive stone door...

...the most evil voice she had ever heard...

...the doors slowly creaking open...

...something... something forcing it's way out...

With a shriek, Raven fell back into her own body and collapsed to the floor, trembling with fear, breathing heavily.

She looked over at Star who was in almost the same position. Frightened tears ran down her face, and Raven touched her finger-tips to her own eyes. The wetness of her own tears came away.

The door opened and Gar an Terra ran in. "Raven? We heard you scream..."

Star's eyes locked on Raven's. "What...what was that?"

Raven steadied her self and swallowed hard. "'Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.'" She said, perfectly mirroring Star and Terra's own sentences. "It's the language of the Great Old Ones. Roughly translated into English, it means 'In his house in R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.'"

Their uncomprehending faces looked back at her.

"It means we are in very serious trouble."

/

Author's Note: For those of you not familiar with the Cthulhu Mythos, the next chapter should explain quite a bit for you.

I love this chapter, and it was a joy to write. There were some fun bits that I threw in there for both my own amusement and for the amusement of my readers. All two of them (snare-drum)

-Raven's line "No one ever came and looked for me." was the first piece of dialogue I came up with for the story.

-The obvious call-back to Raven and Gar's moment in Season 5's 'Go.'

-All the call-backs to Season 2's 'Betrayal,' my personal favorite episode of the entire series.

-Gar's little pledge of love to Terra sounded a little too melodramatic, so I added the "Too long for the marker" joke.

-The entirety of the Raven/Star conversation about Star's previous exploits came about thanks to my dearest friend Kristen, who loved my idea for it and encouraged it. She also wanted Raven and Star to have sex, so I threw in that little line where Star thinks Raven is coming on to her. Probably one of my favorite moments in the story.

-In the love scene, I tried to portray a realistic first time between two love-sick teens. I get so tired of people writing lemons about character's first times and it's always acrobatic, wild sex with simultaneous climaxes. I really tried to capture the awkwardness and shyness of losing one's virginity, and I think I succeeded. And to those that say that their climaxes were simultaneous, read again; Gar lost it first, then Terra.

-The "whole world in my fist" line is inspired by 'The Word of Your Body' from the fantastic musical 'Spring Awakening.'

-Unlike some of the other call-backs, the call-back to Season 3's 'The Beast Within' actually will have some impact on the story.

-Honestly, if I had to pick one part of this chapter as my favorite, it'd be in the love scene when Gar and Terra have the moment about the condoms. I just love the dialogue and it comes the closest to capturing that awkwardness I was going for with the whole scene.

-Terra saying "Go." Simple, but I thought it was cute.

-I about had a fit when I came up with Terra seeing the fireworks from 'Betrayal' at her moment of ecstasy. I _love_ that idea.

-For those familiar with the Cthulhu Mythos, the small creatures on Star's mental wall are obvious allusions to the Children of Cthulhu from 'At the Mountains of Madness.'

-I thought Terra donning her last Titans uniform and discarding the civilian clothes was a cool bit of symbolism.

-The images Raven sees in Star's head are directly lifted from 'The Call of Cthulhu.'

Wow, a lot of author's notes, huh? Well, until next time, remember; a little review never hurt anybody.


	7. Chapter 6: 'The Dead Waits Dreaming'

Author's Note: And, finally, here's Chapter 6. Chapter 6 marks the end of 'The Call: Part 1' and leads, of course, directly into 'The Call: Part 2,' coming soon.

There are three parts to 'The Call' in all, each 5-6 chapters in length, creating a nice, easy-reading episodic tale.

If you've enjoyed 'The Call: Part 1,' then keep an eye out for 'The Call: Part 2.'

But before the next chapter can begin, the first has to end…

/

Chapter 6

'The Dead Waits Dreaming'

/

"My attitude was still one of absolute materialism, _as I wish it still were_."  
-Francis Waylond Thurston, concerning the investigation into the 'Cthulhu Cult.'

/

Ten minutes later, both Raven and Star had calmed down enough to talk.

While they'd been waiting, Gar had taken in Raven's room. It seemed his earlier suspicions were confirmed; the room had been kept in near perfect condition.

But, of course, it would be. It was her own room after all.

The walls, lit by the dozens of flickering candles, were covered in aging book-shelves, groaning with the effort of holding so many volumes of knowledge. The room… looked exactly as it always had.

The group sat on the floor. Terra burrowed deeper into Gar's one armed embrace. Star sat a few feet away, her arms wrapped about her knees, still shaken by the vision that had been unlocked in her head. Raven stood from her seated position and moved to a shelf on the far side of the room.

"It has been written that unfathomable centuries ago, when the world and the human race were very young, it was ruled over by the Elder Gods. They were strange, alien beings that had come not only from the stars, but from another plane of existence. They ruled over mankind as benevolent deities. The same could not be said of their opposites; the Great Old Ones."

She ran a finger along the rows of spines on one of the shelves.

"The Great Old Ones first came to this world due to their jealousy of the Elder Gods. They enslaved great portions of mankind, built their own great cities, and began a long war for the right to rule the Earth."

She settled on the book she was looking for and pulled it out, walking back towards the group.

"When at last the war ended, the Great Old Ones- Yog Soggoth, Nyarlathotep, and Shug Shuggerath among them- were sealed away into an eternal slumber by the Elder Gods. Fearing that their continued presence on Earth would summon more threats to the fledgling species, they departed. They believed that the threat had been neutralized, but they underestimated the threat of the Great Old Ones."

She sat down on the floor and set the book down in the center. It was very old and covered in arcane symbols. She brushed a hand across the surface.

"These are the writings of Abdul Alhazred, the Mad Arab, better known as the Necronomicon."

"The Book of the Dead."

Raven looked at Gar in surprise.

He rubbed the back of his head and grinned shyly. "Uh… I saw it on 'the Evil Dead.'"

Raven rolled her eyes and opened the book to a carven image of a great island city. As the group stared, it began to hurt their eyes trying to take in the mountainous structure. It seemed to be made of impossible angles that lead to nowhere.

"That is the city that I saw." Star gasped.

"It's called R'lyeh, and it is the final resting place of the Great Old Ones." Raven continued. "Before they were locked away into an eternal sleep, the Great Old Ones set a fail-safe for their release; their High Priest, Cthulhu."

She turned the page and they all drew back in fear and revulsion. The monstrosity on the page was done in grisly perfection, as though it could literally step forward from the pages of the tome. It's shape called to mind a man, an octopus, and a dragon all at once. It's scaly skin was a dark, mottled green and it had two membranous wings that extended from the back. It's head was a bulbous protrusion with two yellow eyes; the pupils vertical slits of darkness. It's mouth was obscured by a mass of writhing tentacles.

"Is that…?" Terra started.

Raven nodded. "Cthulhu? Yes. He, too, was sealed in slumber, but one not as deep as the other Great Old Ones. In his dreams, he was conscious and able to communicate with the minds of humanity. Through them, He spread his influence into the collective consciousness' of large groups of people all over the world. They, in turn, would prepare the world for the re-awakening of the Great Old Ones."

"You're saying all of this in past tense, like it's already happened." Gar said.

Again, Raven nodded. "It did." She stood and pulled another book from the desk next to her bed. This one was embossed with the image of a Caucasian man with very deep eyes. "I didn't know why, but I was compelled to read this last night. At least I know now."

"What is it?" Terra asked. "He looks familiar."

"In 1928, Howard Phillips Lovecraft wrote a short story entitled 'The Call of Cthulhu.' It's held as a horror masterpiece today, and it was the first use of the Great Old Ones in popular culture. In the story, Lovecraft goes into great detail about Cthulhu, those that worship him, and R'lyeh. What no one realized is that Lovecraft wasn't writing fiction. He was writing fact." She began to flip through the pages. "In fact, Lovecraft himself received the Call and was compelled to write the story, thus spreading Cthulhu's influence subconsciously in the process."

"Wait. Now I remember. We studied this guy in Literature. How could you possibly know he received this 'Call' thing? Wouldn't he have told somebody?" Terra asked.

Raven looked at her gently. "He never admitted it in public. But he wrote a letter to a childhood friend explaining the entire story. He had to tell someone, but someone who he could trust. His friend reached a certain level of enlightenment and was given entrance into Azarath… my home. As was custom, all of his books and notes were stored in our archives, and that's how it was discovered. _We_ studied that in Literature."

Terra got very quiet very fast.

Raven finished flipping pages and arrived at her destination, sitting back so the others could see. It was a simplified illustration of an old steam-ship heading towards the same city they'd seen in the Necronomicon.

"In the final segment of the story, a ship, the _Emma_, stumbles upon R'lyeh and opens Cthulhu's tomb. Cthulhu is released and all but two of the crew-members die. The last sane survivor drives the ship into Cthulhu's head, stunning him long enough for the ship to escape."

"What do you mean when you say 'last sane survivor?'" Star asked.

"It's said that any mere mortal that gazes upon Cthulhu in the flesh is driven insane by the sight. Only those with incredible will can hold onto reality."

Star was silent a moment. "What happens next?"

"The island sinks, and Cthulhu is pulled back into his tomb by the vacuum of the sea."

"The city sank?"

"The time for R'lyeh on the surface is very limited. Once the stars move on from their set position, it sinks until the stars, again, are right."

Gar looked dubious. "If Cthulhu is so powerful, why can't he just escape?"

"One of the Elder God's provisions. The tomb can only be opened from the outside."

"So… why did Terra and I receive this… Call?" Star asked.

Raven shrugged. "My guess is that you were both at significant emotional highs at the exact same instant. That, coupled with your powers, drew Cthulhu's eye. Perhaps he's trying something different this time around."

Terra looked at her. "But my powers are gone."

"It's just a guess." Raven said defensively.

Gar stood. "The question is what do we do next."

Star stood beside him, her eyes blazing. "We ignore it. If what Raven says is true, then Cthulhu is a passive threat. If we ignore it, nothing will happen. Blood will not be so quiet."

Raven regained her own footing. "Agreed. But we have to keep in mind that he may have something to do with this. You said yourself that it was all too co-incidental."

"Very astute observation, Raven. You would've made a fine student."

All four turned towards the door in shock at the sound of the smoothly evil voice. The tall figure of Brother Blood strolled into the room nonchalantly. His wounds were completely healed, and he had managed to stitch his red cloth robe back together. He smiled coldly at them.

"Your guess is quite close to the truth, actually. Emotional highs and all that. But you're missing one key detail." His eyes locked on Terra, still on the floor. "Which is why I've come for you."

Star and Gar moved at the same instant.

Star's energy literally blinded her with rage as she struck out at Roy's killer, wanting nothing more than to snap his neck in her bare hands.

Blood clapped his hands and side-stepped her easily. He aimed a lightning fast blow that sent her crashing into the far wall. Books piled atop her and loose pages fluttered in the air.

Gar had already shifted into an anaconda, and he quickly wrapped himself around Blood from head to toe. Hissing loudly, he squeezed as tightly as his body would allow.

Blood just laughed and concentrated.

Gar felt a strange tingle just before his body exploded with pain as electricity surged through him. His grip slackened and he fell to the floor, already shifting back to his normal form. He stared upwards in a daze, his body still in spasms from the shock.

As Blood stooped towards him, Star exploded from the pile of books with a Tameranian war cry. She shot at him like a bullet, her fist out before her, ready to knock his black heart from his body.

He clapped his hands and in the blink of an eye, Blood was behind her.

"How…?" That was all she got out before Blood touched her shoulder and sent the same wave of electricity through her. Senseless, she fell next to Gar.

The immediate threat neutralized, Blood turned back to Terra.

Raven stood over the powerless girl protectively. "So, you _can_ steal powers."

Blood nodded. "A gift I thought wise to keep secret in case I ever needed a secret weapon. When I at last received the Call, I knew that the time was right."

Raven's eyes widened. "You received the Call?"

He nodded, his grin widening as he stepped over Gar and Star's convulsing bodies. "Indeed. My brotherhood worshipped the Great Old Ones for centuries. Unfortunately, I am the last."

Terra recoiled, feeling more helpless than ever. "What do you want me for?"

Blood spread his palms in an almost apologetic gesture. "I myself lack the… talents… to open my Master's tomb. That's where you come in."

Even in her fear, Terra allowed herself a smirk. "Well, I guess you're out of luck then. My powers are gone."

"Oh no, child. You see…"

He spoke no more as Raven's Shadow Guardian emerged from it's hiding place and closed it's enormous mouth over him. It swallowed loudly and belched.

"Huh. I wasn't sure that would actually work. Good job." Raven told Terra as she stood. As soon as Gar and Star had fallen, Raven had sent for her strongest Guardian and telepathically told Terra to keep Blood talking.

"Hey. I can follow orders when I feel like it. What now?"

"We get out of here." Raven didn't mention how odd it was that Terra, with no powers, was able to hide her mind from Blood.

Terra hefted Gar's arm onto her shoulders why Raven grabbed Star. A bubble of dark energy swarmed over them, and when it was clear they were back in the common room. Star and Gar stood on their own carefully.

"Someone get the license plate of that truck?" Gar asked, rubbing his aching head.

"What happened?" Star demanded. The adrenaline and her alien physiology allowed her to recover at a faster pace.

"It's as I feared. Blood stole Titans East's powers. He hit you both with Bee's electric sting, and he out-maneuvered you with Mas and Minos' speed."

"What do we do now?" Terra asked.

"We get moving. I'm not sure how long my Shadow Guardian can keep him occupied… But you've got some explaining to do. Blood seems pretty damn certain you've still got your powers."

"But I don't! At least, I don't think I do." She noted the look on Raven's face. "What? You don't believe me? You think I'm lying?"

It was Star who spoke. "To be fair, it would not be the first time."

Terra's retort was cut off by Gar. "Enough. Can we continue this little spat in a place not directly below that psycho?"

The ceiling caved in as if on cue with a horrible CRACK and debris began to shower the team. On instinct, Raven summoned a shield that blocked it from hitting them. When the shower of shrapnel ceased, her shield faded… just as three tendrils of red energy flashed out from the dust. The whips wrapped tightly around Gar, Star, and Raven and sent them crashing to the floor. They struggled with futility against their bonds.

Alone, Terra stared dumbstruck as Blood walked towards her looking no worse for the wear. Casually, he swiped the last piece of gore from the slaughtered Shadow Guardian to the floor.

_He was still smiling._

She tried to back away, but he clapped his hands and suddenly he was behind her. She screamed and spun just as he grabbed her shoulders and lifted her clear off the ground.

"Don't fret, child. I understand that you don't know what's wrong with your powers. So I'll just take them from you. And as much as I love the taste of live prey, rest assured that, in your case, I won't let you feel a thing. Consider it a gift from Dread Cthulhu." His left hand left her shoulder and grasped her throat in a vise-like grip, cutting off a second scream along with her air supply. Still grinning, he began to squeeze.

Terra struggled as best she could, clawing at his face and opening a cut on his cheek. Still, her vision began to blur. 'This can't be happening.' She thought desperately. As much as she fought it, blackness began to take her. 'Gar, I'm so sorry…' She mentally whispered, praying that he might hear her final thought. Her vision became nothing…

…And then her lungs were on fire as the air came rushing back. His hands were gone and she hit the floor, coughing as her chest tried to refill. Someone had attacked Blood, knocked him away… It must have been Gar! She looked up, clutching at her bruised throat, doing her best to show a grateful smile… that faded into a look of abject horror.

She would rather face Blood, or even the Devil himself, than the man that stood before her. He glared down at her with a single, narrowed green eye. She swore she could feel it piercing her soul. He was in street clothes and his mask was off. He didn't seem to have aged a day since the last time she had seen him mask-less.

She tried to say his name, but it came out in a choked whisper. Whether it was choked by pain or fear, she did not know.

"…_Slade."_

/

Blood slammed into the wall, reeling from the kick that had broken three of his ribs instantly. His concentration failed and he watched as the bonds holding the three young heroes faded to nothingness.

They regained their feet and stared in shock at their rescuer.

Blood stood and turned to his attacker. "Well," he coughed, noting the blood that appeared. "May I at least have the honor of knowing your name before I end your life?"

Slade's gaze left Terra and found Blood. "Oh, I don't really think my name is necessary."

Blood forced a laugh. "No, I suppose not. I do suppose, however, I should commend you for that well executed sneak attack. Ah, well…" He clapped his hands together to activate Mas and Mino's power and charged at Slade at damn-near the speed of light. His grin faded as he found Slade's hand around his throat. "H…how… how did you…?" He forced out before the grip tightened, cutting off his air completely.

"If you must know, the name is Slade, and I've been dealing with super-powered teens for a lot longer than you have." With that, he grabbed Blood by his robe, hefted him over-head, and threw him out the hole in the wall. Impassively, Slade strolled to the hole and looked out as Blood hit the water. "Hmmm." He turned and looked at the disbelieving teen's faces. "What?"

Gar spoke first. "What are you doing here?" He knelt and helped Terra to her feet.

She was trembling, and her eyes had not yet left Slade. "You… I killed you." She forced out.

Slade offered a small smile. "Nice to see you, too." He turned his attention back to Gar. "I'll give you the long story later, but right now we have to hurry. He'll be back."

"Give us the short version, then." Raven spat.

Slade sighed. "So distrusting, Raven. You'd think I'd done something horrible to you in the past."

Raven bristled, her face darkening. True, she could no longer feel her animosity towards Terra, but this was the man who had tried to use her to end the world.

That was something she would never forget.

"You don't remember, but I helped the Titans defeat your father and rescue you." He watched her eyes widen slightly in shock. He took them all in. "The last time I saw any of you, we were allies. Considering what we're up against now, I see no reason to break that truce."

Raven, Star, and Gar glanced at each other, then back at Slade. One by one, they nodded uneasily.

"How touching. Bitter enemies united against a common threat."

They all turned back to the hole as Blood rose into view, held aloft by Bee's wings sprouting from his back. His left hand held his broken ribs and his life's blood dripped from his mouth from his internal injuries.

Slade reached to pull the short sword from the scabbard on his belt, but Blood attacked with a cry of rage. The two collided and, with Blood's forward momentum, crashed through the far wall into the kitchen and through the wall beyond.

Star lit up. "Let's go." She floated through the hole they'd made with Raven in hot pursuit.

Gar started, but stopped and turned back to Terra. "Stay here. We can handle this." Before Terra could reply, he kissed her cheek and was gone.

Her mind was racing, thoughts chasing each other in her head. Slade was alive? And he was on their side? What in God's name was going on?

Whatever it was, she wouldn't find out just sitting here.

Resolute, she started after them. She had to find a way to help them, powers or no powers.

She was _not_ going to be a scared little girl anymore.

/

"Damn it." Slade grunted as he crumpled against the caved in refrigerator. He'd crashed into it after the initial impact and it had saved him from being crushed like a bug into the wall. He looked around for his blade, but it had been knocked clear by the impact.

He was getting too old for this kind of thing.

"Looking for this?" It was Blood, standing over him, his injured ribs cradled in one hand, Slade's short sword in the other. He coughed more blood onto the floor, but still managed a small triumphant smile. "A valiant effort, if misguided. My Master could use someone of your…talents."

"No thanks. I learned my lesson about helping all-powerful deities already."

"What are you, exactly? That impact would have killed any normal person, and I can't control your mind. Yet you aren't meta-human."

Slade concentrated on his injuries, willing them to heal. 'Keep him talking.' He thought to himself. "In Vietnam, I volunteered for a Top Secret program to create a new breed of super-soldier. The experiments gave me some new abilities. Chief among them is that I use ninety-percent brain capacity, compared to your forty-five percent." He purposely left out his minor healing factor.

Blood nodded. "So your mind is iron-clad. At least… to control."

Before Slade could react, the blade sank deep into his chest, missing his heart by an inch. He hissed in pain. The blade retracted and blood began to flow. Slade covered the wound, applying pressure.

"But you're a fool if you didn't think I could still read your thoughts. I know this won't kill you, but it will incapacitate you. Enjoy the show… Slade." Chuckling, Blood licked the blade clean and moved to the side of the hole to wait.

/

Raven and Star arrived first.

"Where is Blood?" Star demanded.

Slade couldn't answer. A lull in his concentration could mean certain death. Instead, he could only watch as Gar ran into the room… and Blood made his move.

/

Gar never saw it coming.

The blade sank into his back, barely missing his spinal chord. The pain hit him like a bullet as he felt the flesh tear and muscles give way. He uttered a strangled grunt at the initial impact. "Star…" he managed to gasp as the blade was pulled out with a sickening SLIP.

Blood's mouth covered the bleeding wound and he drew deeply, feeling the meta-human blood already healing his wounded ribs. As he drew in a second swallow, he saw the incoming star-bolt and leapt away.

Gar hit the floor with a lifeless thump.

As Blood squared off with Star and Raven, they all froze at the sound of an anguished scream.

"GAR!"

They all turned to see Terra standing just outside the room, her hands on either side of her head. Tears streamed down her face and she let out a second cry that seemed to shake the very foundations of Titans Tower.

All of them, good and evil, stared in silent wonder as a faint yellow light appeared in her eyes.

/

This was too much. She would not, _could not_, get Gar back and lose him again in the same day.

As her first scream stopped the fighting, she felt herself being drawn into her own mind. She seemed to be back in the House of Mirrors. Surrounding her were multitudes of her own reflection. There was her when she'd first met the Titans, her in her Apprentice uniform, and even an image of her in her nicest dress on the day of her fifth birthday party. One of the reflections surprised her by stepping out of the mirror. Standing before her now was a mirror image of herself, except this girl was in a school-girl's uniform and had a sad look on her face. Her hands were clasped behind her back.

"I guess it's time." T said softly.

"What are you talking about?" Terra demanded of her other personality.

"I was hoping that you'd come to your senses and decide to lead a normal life, so I did something bad. Funny, huh? I'm the good one, and I did something bad." T didn't seem to think it was too funny.

"What did you do?" Terra noticed the hands behind T's back. "What do you have back there?"

T smiled sadly. "This." She pulled her hands out to reveal a yellow glow.

Terra stared in disbelief. "Is that… Are those my powers?"

T nodded. "_Our_ powers. I hid them."

Terra was incredulous. "Why?"

T glared at her. "You created me so you could live a normal life. Then, all of a sudden, Cyborg dies and you want to start living again?"

"Of course I did! They needed me! If you'd have let me out, the team might still be together."

"And what about your friends, Terra? Your family? The people that loved you? You'd leave all of them behind?"

Terra stared her down. "The Titans were my friends. They were my family. They loved me."

T had nothing to say to that.

Terra reached out.

T pulled back, "If you take these back, I'm history. There's no more hiding. You fully accept who you are. _There is no going back after this! Do you understand that?_!"

Terra looked into her Other's eyes for the last time. "Do _you_ understand that? Do you want this? For Gar, will you do this? Because I'll leave it up to you."

T hadn't been expecting that. Now that the original dominant personality was back in control, she'd been able to experience everything Terra had. She looked at the ground in thought, remembering his tender touch as they'd made love, his protective arm around her always, the look of devotion in his eyes, the words of love he'd whispered into her ear… then returned Terra's determined gaze. She grasped Terra's hand suddenly, and the yellow light began to unite them. "For Gar?"

They were united, and Terra found herself alone. All at once the mirrors shattered and she was falling back to her body. Even still, she felt T's final solitary thought drift through her mind. For the first time ever, the two voices were united.

'For Gar…Hell yes.'

/

Titans Tower shook as Terra, one of the most powerful women on Earth, got her powers back.

Her eyes lit with a burning yellow from deep within. A medium-sized boulder exploded from the floor below Blood and rocketed him through the ceiling towards the roof. He was too surprised to yell out.

She stepped forward to Gar's crumpled body and placed a palm on his face. He was alive. She met Raven's gaze. "Take care of him 'til I get back, okay?"

Stunned, Raven nodded.

Terra pulled her gloves from her pocket and pulled them on, looking at Star. "Ready for a little pay-back?"

With a savage grin, Star nodded and powered up.

Just before she pulled on her goggles, she spared Slade a glance. "We're not done."

His injury now more under control, he smiled at her. "Whenever you're ready to settle, let me know. But for now make me proud… my apprentice." He added her former moniker at the end in a mocking tone.

She scowled at him and summoned a second boulder. This one she stood on, and she and Star flew through the holes left by Blood and his boulder. They lew past the various floors, dodging small pieces of debris, until they reached the roof and found Blood on his side, staring at them in momentary disbelief.

His blood mixed with Gar's as it dripped from his lips.

Terra smirked and extended her palm, retracted, and extended again in the universal sign for 'come on then.' "Let's see you choke me now."

If Blood was intimidated by the two powerful women before him, he didn't show it. In fact, his reaction was the opposite of what they were expecting.

_He started to laugh._

He stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Oh, that is just _precious._ As it is, I got myself a trump card in case something like this happened."

There was a blur at the roof's edge and something flew between the girls, imbedding itself in the concrete behind them. They turned in unison to gaze in shock at the object. It was very familiar to both of them.

It was a shiny, red, razor sharp throwing blade.

It was a bird-a-rang.

They turned back to face the young hero now standing beside Blood, his body twisted in a fighting pose, his eyes glowing red.

His uniform had changed over the years, it's once gaudy colors now much more subdued. It carried a very distinctive armor design, while some martial artist elements still remained.

"No… No, this isn't fair…" Star whispered painfully.

"Now, Robin. KILL… YOUR …FRIENDS!" Blood cried in triumph.

/

TO BE CONTINUED IN 'THE CALL: PART 2'

/

Author's Note: Oh cliff-hangers, how I love thee.

-I love Terra's inner psyche moment. Had a blast visualizing it.

-Robin's uniform is a sort of mix between his usual Titans garb and the 'Batman Forever' design. Just, y'know, not as sucky. Don't worry, though. Dick'll have a costume change in a bit. That is, if he survives…

-The last line is a direct call-back to a 1984 issue of 'Tales of the Teen Titans.' The cover had Brother Blood instructing Dick Grayson to lower the Titans into a vat of boiling blood and saying 'Now, Dick Grayson… KILL YOUR FRIENDS!' Fun Fact: Brother Blood died in that issue.

So yeah, there's that. So ends 'The Call: Part 1.' I hope you've enjoyed the first part of the ride, and I can only pray to Dread Cthulhu that you'll tag along for the rest.

And remember, until next time; A little review never hurt anybody.


End file.
